US forces on Thursday shot down a suspected pro-regime drone inside Syria, the third time US forces have taken kinetic action against forces allied with the regime.
Army Col. Ryan Dillon, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said during a Thursday briefing the drone was armed and had been firing on coalition forces near the At-Tanf Garrison.
“The drone did drop a munition,” Dillon said. “That munition did not have effects on the coalition forces. So, that happened. It had remaining munitions that were still on the drone when we fired and we shot it down.”
The aircraft was a larger remotely piloted aircraft, similar in size to an MQ-1 Predator. The munitions didn’t cause damage to forces on the ground.
The US on May 18 also conducted an airstrike on pro-regime vehicles as they advanced on a “deconfliction zone” at At Tanf. A US aircraft also has struck two pickup trucks with weapons that seemed to be “posing a threat” to the US forces, Dillon said.
“We’re watching the situation very closely,” Dillon said. “The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime or pro-regime forces, however, we remain ready to defend ourselves against any threat.”