100 Syrian pro-regime fighters killed: U.S.

‘Attack by govt. forces was repelled’

The U.S.-led coalition said on Thursday that it killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters to fend off an attack on its allies in eastern Syria, in one its deadliest confrontations yet with forces backing Damascus.

The initial attack was carried out by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on key oil and gas installations in parts of Deir Ezzor.

The clash came against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Washington and Damascus over an uptick in the suspected use of chemical weapons by the regime and allied militia.

Meanwhile, regime warplanes rained bombs for a fourth consecutive day on the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus, where the death toll soared to 170 since Monday.

According to the U.S. Central Command, coalition advisors were present in the area that was attacked by pro-government forces in Deir Ezzor province late on Wednesday. “The coalition conducted strikes against attacking forces to repel the act of aggression” against its own personnel and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces hosting them, it said. “We estimate more than 100 Syrian pro-regime forces were killed while engaging SDF and coalition forces,” a U.S. military official said.

The SDF and the coalition targeted the attacking forces with air strikes and shelling after “20 to 30 artillery and tank rounds landed within 500 metres (yards) of the SDF headquarters location”, the official said.