In the initial stages of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), U.S. coalition forces clashed with Syrian pro-government militias and Russian private military contractors following an attack on a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) position near Khasham. This confrontation, known as the Battle of Khasham, involved heavy fighting but led to no American casualties.
The 2018 incident was reported on by the media as “the first deadly clash between citizens of Russia and the United States since the Cold War.”
Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) began in 2014
In the fall of 2014, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US launched its military intervention efforts in Syria. The purpose was to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces. By 2017, the Syrian Democratic Forces had successfully captured Raqqa, thanks to US military support, and were pushing toward the Euphrates. Located there was a deconfliction line established by the governments of both the US and Russia.
Since 2015, Russia has participated in air operations in Syria, in support of the Syrian government. Additionally, Russian private military contractors – primarily those with the Wagner Group – have been engaged in Syria. However, their involvement in ground operations was never officially confirmed by the Russian government.
A growing presence of militia fighters
An outpost at Conoco, close to Khasham, acted as the Syrian Democratic Forces’ headquarters. There, 30 U.S. soldiers from the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force) and the 75th Ranger Regiment (Army Rangers), were stationed to support Kurdish forces in the vicinity
Meanwhile, U.S. Marines and Green Berets positioned 20 miles away offered reconnaissance and surveillance support for the outpost.
On February 7, 2018, these forces found themselves increasingly encircled by over 500 pro-government militia members, reinforced by T-72 and T-55 tanks. Drone surveillance provided an early alert, enabling them to organize a quick-reaction force in case of a conflict.
Battle of Khasham commences
At around 10:00 PM that evening, the Russian and Syrian militia began their assault on the outpost.
Using artillery and mortar rounds in what the US officials called an “uncoordinated attack,” the American soldiers retaliated by firing Javelin anti-tank missiles. As The New York Times reported, “The air was filled with dust and shrapnel. […] For the first 15 minutes, American military officials called their Russian counterparts and urged them to stop the attack. When that failed, American troops fired warning shots at a group of vehicles and a howitzer.”
Prior to the eruption of the Battle of Khasham, military officials at the Combined Air Operations Center in Qatar had spotted the growing Russian and pro-government force and quickly deployed air support.
“American warplanes arrived in waves, including Reaper drones, F-22 stealth fighter jets, F-15E Strike Fighters, B-52 bombers, AC-130 gunships and AH-64 Apache helicopters,” The New York Times wrote. “For the next three hours, American officials said, scores of strikes pummeled enemy troops, tanks and other vehicles. Marine rocket artillery was fired from the ground.”
Late arrival of the quick response forces
The Battle of Khasham lasted about three hours before a quick response force of Marines and Green Berets arrived. To maintain the element of surprise, the drivers relied on night vision equipment to navigate the dark terrain, avoiding the use of headlights.
The roads were littered with challenges, “littered with felled power lines and shell craters.” At a point, the force had to halt their advance because “the barrage of artillery was too dangerous to drive through until airstrikes silenced the enemy’s howitzers and tanks,” as reported by The New York Times.
The quick response force finally reached the area at 1:00 AM, just as enemy vehicles were engulfed in flames and the attackers were shifting to an on-foot assault.
Aftermath of the Battle of Khasham and transparency
The Battle of Khasham came to a close shortly after the enemy forces retreated. No American soldiers were harmed during the engagement, while approximately 200-300 enemy fighters were reported killed.
U.S. officials provided a thorough account of the situation, explaining that pro-government forces, with Russian support, had launched an assault on the Syrian Democratic Forces while U.S. personnel were stationed east of the Euphrates deconfliction line.
In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement, attributing the incident to reconnaissance by Syrian militias acting without the approval of Russian operational command. They stressed that no Russian service members were present in the area of Deir ez-Zor province during the event.
US officials kept in constant contact with the Russians
Following the Battle of Khasham, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, commander of the US Air Forces Central Command, said that, prior, “The coalition observed a slow buildup of personnel and equipment the previous week, and we reminded Russian officials of the SDF and coalition presence via the telephone deconfliction line. This was well in advance of the enemy forces’ attack.”
Throughout the engagement, US officials were in constant contact with the official Russian liaison officer in Deir ez-Zor. They made sure only to open fire once they were told that absolutely no regular Russian troops were participating.
Did the Russians approve of the Battle of Khasham?
While Russian officials claim they had no part in authorizing the attack at Conoco, two sources alleged that a Russian minister was involved. On February 22, 2018, The Washington Post published an article alleging that communications between the late leader of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin and senior Syrian and Kremlin officials had been intercepted.
In these communications, Prigozhim was said to have “secured permission” from an unnamed Russian minister to go ahead with an attack and that all that was needed was approval from the Syrian government. Additionally, the Ukraine-based anti-Russian publication InformNapalm alleged the attack had been cleared by Sergej Kim, the chief of Wagner’s operations department and a former Russian naval infantry officer.
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Despite these claims, Russian officials continued to assure the public that they weren’t involved in the attack.
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