Until now, few major print news media in the United States had reported the drone attacks in the past 30 hours on US military posts in eastern Syria and western Iraq. Minor injuries were reported at al-Tanf in southern Syria and the al-Asad air base in the Anbar province of Iraq. But apparently, al-Tanf had more injuries than has been reported. And the Pentagon confirmed that a US contractor died of a heart attack at al-Asad.
The "minor injuries" might have included headaches and ringing in the ears, which can indicate brain injury. More than 100 such traumatic injuries were reported in Iranian missile attacks on the al-Asad base in Iraq in 2020 in retaliation for the American assassination of Quds Forces commander Qasem Soleimani, said Reuters. In that incident, what had been characterized as only minor injuries were eventually confirmed as severe concussions.
Roughly 900 US troops are in eastern Syria and 2,500 in Iraq. US air bases in Iraq have taken three drone attacks in 24 hours, reported Reuters.
Five explosions were heard near the Conoco gas field in northern Syria, near Deir Al-Zour, according to the Observatory for Human Rights in Syria based in England, which is usually reliable.
Iran has warned that militia associated with it would retaliate pre-emptively on multiple fronts if the Americans did not stay out of the Israel-Hamas War. US President Joe Biden supports the impending Israeli counter-attack on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Central Command, in charge of the US military in the Middle East and Central Asia, says American troops guard oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria from a takeover by the Islamic State terrorist group (Daesh is the Arabic acronym).
The al-Tanf base is on the main road from Baghdad to Damascus, which Iran uses to supply Hezbollah in Lebanon. The base trains recruits to the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led militia that opposes Daesh and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran.
The reports that I've seen did not mention the number of injuries at al-Tanf or al-Asad. In the 2020 attack on al-Asad, 11 missiles carrying warheads of 1,500 or 2,000 pounds resulted in 200 head injuries, of which 110 were eventually diagnosed as traumatic, according to Wikipedia's detailed account. No missile was intercepted (!). So the number of TBIs per missile was 110/11, or 10. At al-Tanf, one drone got through. I don't know its payload, but the latest Iranian drone, Mahajer-10, has one of 661 pounds, according to Amwaj. If the blast area is proportional to the payload, then one can speculate that the attack on al-Tanf may lead to 3 or 4 TBIs. But the al-Tanf post is small, which may both increase the troop density and decrease the total number of troops. So I would guess that al-Tanf might have 3 to 10 TBIs. This is clearly just a guess.
A question of interest is why, if there were only a few drones attacking al-Asad and al-Tanf, any got through. In the 2020 al-Asad assault, the US Space Force provided hours of advance warning. How much warning was there this time?
No one has claimed undisputed responsibility of these drone attacks. A pro-Palestinian militia said it had assaulted US bases in Syria, but the Pentagon said it was still checking. However, the drone attacks are consistent with an Iranian campaign to extend regional influence. The Arab Post reports that on October 15, Quds Forces Commander Ismail Qaani met with Assad in Damascus for two days to set up a war room coordinating operations by Syria, Iran, and Iraq against Israel, supervised by the Revolutionary Guards. The attack on Israel would come from the Golan Heights. I am not aware that this report has been confirmed by other media.
The USS Carney destroyer shot down three cruise missiles and several drones from Houthi rebels, in Yemen, who are backed by Iran. The barrage was in the direction of Israel. Nearly two dozen drones attacked the destroyer itself. US troops and civilians were not reported hurt. -- Leon Taylor, Baltimore, tayloralmaty@gmail.com
Source: Stars and Stripes
References
Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart. More than 100 U.S. troops diagnosed with brain injuries from Iran attack | Reuters . February 10, 2020.
Amwaj media. Amid escalating shadow war with Israel, Iran unveils new combat drone | Amwaj.media
Arab Post. Th eattack will not be from Lebanon...Qaaani's visit to Syria and Iraq reveals details of possible Iranian interference against Israel. جريدة القدس (alquds.com) . October 18 2023.
Kamal Ayash. Rockets, drones hit Iraqi base housing U.S. forces -security sources | Reuters October 19, 2023.
Tara Copp. Drones attack US military base in Syria, US officials say | AP News . October 19, 2023.
Farnaz Fassihi. Iran Warns Israel if Attacks Worsen in Gaza - The New York Times (nytimes.com) . October 16, 2023.
J. P. Lawrence. Drones target US troops in Middle East for second day in a row. Drones target US troops in Middle East for second day in a row | Stars and Stripes
Daniel L. Magruder. Al-Tanf garrison: America's strategic baggage in the Middle East. Al Tanf garrison: America’s strategic baggage in the Middle East | Brookings . November 20, 2020.
Jared Szuba. US destroyer shoots down cruise missiles by Iran-backed Houthis - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East . October 19, 2023.
Wikipedia. Operation Martyr Soleimani - Wikipedia
Nancy A. Youssef and Gordon Lubold. U.S. Forces in Syria, Iraq and Red Sea Come Under Militant Attack (msn.com) . The Wall Street Journal. October 19, 2023.
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