US sends 100 extra troops to remote Syria base after Russia threatens attack

More than 100 US Marines were sent as reinforcements to a remote coalition outpost in southern Syria after Russia threatened to attack militants in the area, the Pentagon said.

The troops were flown by helicopter to the base at At Tanf – a small town near the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan. The base is used by US special forces to train Syrian fighters who are confronting Islamic State militants.

Moscow has sent multiple messages to the US in recent days, warning that it and Syrian regime units were planning an attack on what they refer to as “terrorists” near Tanf, US officials said.

The Russian threats may be a way of testing US resolve to keep troops in Syria now that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by Russian troops and warplanes, have succeeded in defeating rebels everywhere except Idlib province and areas of eastern Syria controlled by the US and its allies.

US military officials bluntly warned Russian and Syria not to go forward with an attack within an almost 50km security zone that the US maintains around Tanf, a key strategic outpost.

“The United States does not seek to fight the Russians, the government of Syria or any groups that may be providing support to Syria in the Syrian civil war,” said Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown, a spokesman for US Central Command.