Syria –-(Ammoland.com)- The Wagner Group (ChVK Vagner), controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin (Russian indicted by Robert Mueller for meddling with U.S. elections in 2016), fielded a 550 man attack force supported by mobile howitzers, rockets, mortars and tanks.
The force included Iranian advisors, pro-Assad Syrians and Russian mercenaries. They attacked a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) base and HQ, where anti-Assad Syrians, Kurdish fighters and U.S. Special Forces defended. The U.S. observed the build-up of Wagner Group’s force for at least a week prior to the attack.
WHEN: During the late night of February 7 2018 and early morning of February 8, 2018, near midnight, the Wagner attack force approached the SDF base and began to shell it with tanks and artillery. The defenders, especially the Americans, were ready for them.
WHERE: The base is near the Tabiyah/Conoco oil fields at Khusham in the Deir al-Zour Province along the Euphrates River in Northeastern Syria. The Wagner group came from the West, crossing the river so that it was behind them.
Russia’s U.S. propaganda news outlet is reporting the attack.
WHAT: The attacking force suffered a “full scale U.S. precision firepower” counter attack that lasted over three hours during the early hours of February 8 2018. Casualties inflicted included over 100 killed and more than 200 wounded out of the 550 man force. One SDF member was wounded and the U.S. had no casualties.
HOW: The U.S., fully prepared because of the observation of the Wagner Group’s attack preparations, responded with overwhelming force. The Russian made T-55 and T-72 tanks, vehicles and equipment were destroyed by a combination of air power and artillery.
B-52 bombers, AC-130 Spectre gunships, F-15E Strike Eagles and F-22 Raptors participated. Many of the bombs and missiles were “precision guided munitions” (PGMS). U.S. Marine Corps artillery units also fired on the force, using the new M777-A2 155 mm Light Howitzers. AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships and MQ-9 Reaper drones, again with PGMs, mopped up any final resistance before the remnants of the force were allowed to retreat.
WHY: Speculation about the reason for the attack includes the desire of the Assad regime to take over the Conoco oil fields. Other believe it was an effort to drive U.S. Special Forces out of Syria. The school shooting in Florida has overshadowed news about the fight between the Wagner Group and U.S. backed SDF but with over 300 casualties, many of them Russian.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said that the United States is still investigating who directed an attack on a base housing U.S.-backed opposition forces and U.S. military advisers in Syria earlier this month.
SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, National Public Radio, The New York Times and New York Daily News.
Author: Lenden A. Eakin
I agree that the Kurds are the only good guys In this situation We should support them as they have been loyal allies in the fight against Isis They are the only group that shares our values on human rights and woman’s rights The YPG has all female units, including tank units and they have been in combat and taken casualties While Kurds are mostly Sunni Moslems, they reject terrorism We should support them in their drive for independence However the Turks have invaded Syria and attacked the Kurdish enclave of Afrin and we have done nothing So it seems… Read more »
The larger issue here is that the Kurds have been fighting for around a hundred years just to survive in that area. We under other Administrations promised we would help them after they fought proxy battle after proxy battle in our stead. And all the past Administrations just left them out in the wind after the wars were over. Do they not remind you of this very Country in the beginning? Not to say that they are ever going to have a Home Nation but damn do they deserve one. This Nation needs to keep its promises every so often… Read more »
The mercenaries were poorly supported. No significant artillery, zero air support. Their tactics sucked. Their tanks lasted minutes (only one left for the trip home). Look deeper. Was Putin shucking off some potential enemies by putting them in between the US military and Gods mercy? Was he studying the progress of the battle via live satellite to consider future tactics? He now knows how we will respond to this sort of attack and how well coordinated we are with our allies in the region.
While we were shooting at these guys, did Putin mover other assets into better positions?
Subject is incorrect or at least misleading in that base was not under US command. It appears it was rebel base hosting Americans.
Congratulations, the US Army is now the equivalent of Chinese troops in Vietnam helping the NVA fight the Saigon gov’t. Please don’t tell me we’re the good guys and they’re the bad guys. It’s true that we are the good guys, Assad is a punk, but the fact is our soldiers in Syria are foreign troops helping rebels fight against the legal government.
Poke the bear and get the fangs and claws.
Presuming that this is true in all its details, it was nice of Yevgeny to arrange this little practice session. Live targets are so hard to hire.
With the military in control of their own support and re enforcement there is not a Hillary to bumble up the mix. The men did not have to yell for support and it came with hell’s bell’s ringing. This also demonstrated how stupid it is to prep for a fight they planned on starting in plain view and to cut off retreat with a river to their back. Its like playing battleship without the center divider.
more EU inspired garbage. the problem is not the USA or Israel, it is the sold out politics, in bed with the EU agenda. people refer to them as deep state or the left, NO they are EU SELL OUTS. the USA needs to get out of THE Ukraine, NATO, as they like the UN are being used ,directed by the EU. WE NEED TO BACK THE KURDS, We need to partner with Russia… it would crush the EU, YES, THE EU THAT BELIEVES ALL NATIONS, RELIGIONS AND RACE SHOULD END.we are fighting a foreign agenda. it is called the… Read more »
The opposition learned several lessons.
Do not spend a week preparing for an attack.
Do not cross a river and leave your forces exposed between a river and a superior force.
And the most important lesson of all …
Do not, repeat NOT, expect the White House to be in the loop when you are attacking American troops — a new Sheriff is in charge — President Trump leaves it up to the US military leadership on the ground to decide how and when to defend US troops…