US troops in Syria came under fire from Turkish incursion: Pentagon
13 October 2019 AFP, Washington
US military confirmed an explosion within a few hundred meters of its post near the town of Kobani.
US troops near the northern Syrian border came under artillery fire from Turkish positions on Friday, a Pentagon spokesman said, warning that the US was prepared to meet aggression with "immediate defensive action."
The US military confirmed an explosion around 9.00pm (1800 GMT) within a few hundred meters of its post near the town of Kobani, in an area "known by the Turks to have US forces present."
"All US troops are accounted for with no injuries. US forces have not withdrawn from Kobani," Navy captain Brook DeWalt said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump has faced a firestorm of criticism for appearing to greenlight Turkey's offensive into northeastern Syria, which began after Trump ordered US troops to pull back from the border.
Turkey is targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key US ally in the five-year battle to crush the Islamic State group. The SDF lost 11,000 fighters in the US-led campaign.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier Friday Trump had authorized-but not yet activated-"very significant new sanctions" to dissuade Turkey from further offensive military action.
"The United States remains opposed to the Turkish military move into Syria and especially objects to Turkish operations outside the security mechanism zone and in areas where the Turks know US forces are present," DeWalt added.
"The US demands that Turkey avoid actions that could result in immediate defensive action." The United States was moving to quash accusations of mixed messages and policy reversals over Turkey's offensive into northeastern Syria, which began after Trump ordered US troops to pull back from the border.
Turkey is targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key US ally in the five-year battle to crush the Islamic State group. The SDF lost 11,000 fighters in the US-led campaign.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Trump had authorized - but not yet activated - "very significant new sanctions" to dissuade Turkey from further offensive military action.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper weighed in forcefully, saying Turkey risked destabilizing the region and accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of taking "impulsive action."
Esper "strongly encouraged" Turkey to halt the offensive, warning of "serious consequences," adding that he and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley had spoken directly to their Turkish counterparts.
Democrats and Republicans in Congress have united to back sanctions on Turkey if it launches a full assault on the SDF.
The series of US statements contrasted sharply with wayward signals sent by Washington since Trump said last Sunday that he expected Turkish troops to begin attacking.
Erdogan wants to create a buffer zone between the border and territory controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces, who have links with Turkey's own Kurdish rebels.
