A US contractor, a professional soldier who works for pay in war zones, was killed by a drone strike on Thursday in an attack on a coalition base fighting ISIS in northeastern Syria. The base is located in Hasakah and six other people were also injured in the attack (five US soldiers and another contractor). The US Department of Defense said it believed the attack was carried out by Iran, which supports Bashar al Assad’s regime in the Syrian civil war.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said an aerial bombardment was carried out in response to a facility used by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s most powerful military force. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, eight Iranian militiamen were killed in the bombing.
