'No Change' In US Footprint In Syria As Result Of Attacks On US Bases - White House

The United States has not made any changes to its military footprint in Syria as a result of the recent attacks on US bases in the country, US National Security Council Special Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th March, 2023) The United States has not made any changes to its military footprint in Syria as a result of the recent attacks on US bases in the country, US National Security Council Special Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Monday.

"There has been no change in the US footprint in Syria as a result of what happened over the last few days," Kirby said during a press briefing. "We're not going to be deterred from continuing to go after this network in Syria by these militant groups."

The United States will continue its mission to defeat ISIS (Islamic State, banned in Russia), Kirby added.

On Thursday, a drone of presumably Iranian origin attacked a maintenance facility at the base in Syria's Al-Hasakah province, killing a US contractor and injuring six others, according to the US Department of Defense.

On Friday, in response to the drone attack, the US military carried out airstrikes on facilities belonging to groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

The US military controls parts of the provinces of Al-Hasakah, Raqqa, Aleppo, and Deir Ez-Zor, where the largest Syrian oil and gas fields are located. The Syrian government has repeatedly called the US military presence in the provinces an occupation aimed at stealing Syria's oil.