US military evacuated some 200 soldiers from Syria’s al-Tanf base prior to attack: Fox News
The US military had reportedly been tipped off before last week's attack on al-Tanf base in southern Syria, where American occupation troops are located, and had withdrawn hundreds of troops from the military facility as a precautionary measure to limit damage from the raid.
An unnamed US military official told Fox News television network that roughly 200 US troops were evacuated by C-130 transport planes prior to the attack, while about two dozen remained at the base.
The report added that it is not yet clear what type of intelligence led to the tip, which apparently saved the lives of many American soldiers.
United States officials said they believe the attack involved as many as five drones laden with explosive charges, and that they hit both the US side of al-Tanf base and the side where US-backed militants reside.
Bomb fragments had also been found in areas where US forces had been sleeping and stationing. There were no reported injuries or deaths as a result of the attack.
At a press conference last Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called the attack “complex, coordinated and deliberate.”
The US military trains anti-Damascus militants at al-Tanf base, which is situated near Syria's borders with Iraq and Jordan.
Washington has unilaterally declared a 55-kilometer “de-confliction zone” around the facility, and frequently threatened to target Syrian forces within the area.
Back in May last year, a number of captured Daesh terrorists confessed to close cooperation with US military forces stationed at al-Tanf base on carrying out various acts of terror and sabotage.
During confessions broadcast on Syria’s state-run television network, several terrorists revealed that they were instructed by American forces to target Syrian government troops in and around the ancient city of Palmyra, the Tiyas Military Airbase – also known as the T-4 Airbase, the Shaer gas field as well as nearby oil wells.
“Once a close aide to our commander Hassan Alqam al-Jazrawi came to me and said he was in contact with the Americans at al-Tanf base. The man, whose name was Hassan al-Wali, added it was necessary to target Palmyra and T4 Airbase, and that US forces would provide us with rocket launchers and machine guns, besides financial support, cars and whatever we needed,” one of the terrorists said at the time.
He added, “Americans would also launch reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the movements of Syrian army soldiers in Palmyra region, and inform us of their activities.”
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