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U.S. aircraft conduct strike on Syrian army convoy


American officials and Syrian activists said the strike hit the pro-Syrian government forces as they were setting up fighting positions in a protected area in the desert near the border with Jordan. A bulldozer and a tank were hit, although it was unclear if it struck the Syrian army or just militias allied with the government.   

The region around al-Tanf, where the borders of Jordan, Syria and Iraq meet, has been considered a deconfliction zone, under an agreement between the U.S. and Russia.   



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It said the action was taken after "apparent Russian attempts to dissuade Syrian pro-regime movement" toward al-Tanf were unsuccessful, and after a "coalition aircraft show of force" and warning shots.


It remains unclear why the Syrians violated the zone. Martin reports that Syrian forces are pushing eastward toward the Euphrates River Valley, which hints to the idea that the regime may have been doing reconnaissance on their flank. 

The base was attacked by ISIS in April. Last summer, Syrian fighters trained by the U.S. who operated out of al-Tanf were bombed by Russian jets

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ISIS attacks Syrian state-held areas 

ISIS attacked several government-held villages in central Syria on Thursday, capturing at least one of them in violence that left 52 people dead, including 11 women and 17 children.

Some of the women were beheaded and others had their limbs amputated. Children's bodies were mostly dismembered due to the fact they were beaten with heavy objects such as bricks or stones. Most of the men died from shelling or heavy machine gun fire. 

Hospital officials say 120 people were wounded in the attack. 



The attacks come as goverment forces are on the offensive against the extremists in other parts of Syria, mostly in the northern province of Aleppo and the central Homs region and to the east.


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