US military downs Iranian-made drone in Syria

Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. forces had shot down an Iranian-made drone flying over a base housing American troops in northeastern Syria. The U.S. military statement on Wednesday said reconnaissance drone flew over Mission Support Site Conoco on Tuesday afternoon before American forces shot it down. No group claimed responsibility for flying the drone in northeastern Syria, where it is not uncommon for bases housing U.S. troops to come under rocket fire or mortar attacks. Iran-backed militia are based nearby as are sleeper cells of the Islamic State group that was defeated in Syria in March 2019. There are roughly 900 U.S. troops in Syria, including in the north and farther south and east, who work alongside Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces targeting IS militants and their sleeper cells.