US conducts airstrikes in Syria after deadly drone attack

WASHINGTON, March 24 (KUNA) -- The US military carried out several airstrikes in Syria on Thursday night in response to a deadly drone attack that killed a contractor, injured another and wounded five US troops.
In a statement, the Pentagon said, "A US contractor was killed and five US service members and one additional US contractor were wounded after a one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria." "At the direction of President Biden, I authorized US Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The airstrikes were conducted in response to the latest attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria, he added.
The US official also stressed that these precision strikes are intended to protect and defend U personnel, adding that his country took proportionate and deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize casualties. (end) asj.aa