US footprint unchanged in Syria as a result of attacks: WH
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The White House claims that the United States presence in Syria will remain unchanged in light of the attacks that targeted its bases in the country over the weekend.
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National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, March 22, 2023 (AP)
The United States has not made any changes to its military footprint in Syria as a result of the recent attacks on US bases in the country, US National Security Council Special Communications Coordinator John Kirby said Monday.
"There has been no change in the US footprint in Syria as a result of what happened over the last few days,” Kirby claimed during a press briefing.
"We're not going to be deterred from continuing to go after this network in Syria by these militant groups," Kirby underlined.
"The United States will continue its mission to defeat ISIS," he stressed.
Media reports said on Friday that missile strikes targeted a US occupation base in the Al-Omar field, the largest oil field in Syria located in the governorate of Deir Ezzor in the country's northeast.
Earlier, the US military said it carried out "precision airstrikes" in eastern Syria on Thursday in response to an alleged drone attack that killed one American and injured five US service personnel.
A Department of Defense statement claimed that the casualties fell "after a one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria."
The statement further added that the US intelligence community assesses "the UAV to be of Iranian origin."
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that at the direction of President Joe Biden, he had authorized "precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps."
"As President Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing," he said.
Al Mayadeen correspondent in Syria reported that the US aggression targeted the Rural Development Center and the Grain Center near Deir Ezzor Military Airport.
Our correspondent said there were reports of civilian casualties and that ambulances rushed to the area targeted by the US aggression.
The US has for long employed the alleged "ISIS threat" as a pretext to continue its illegal occupation of northeastern Syrian territories.
US occupation forces frequently loot oil from Syrian gas fields and transport them to other occupation bases in Iraq via illegal crossings.
This became evident after Kibry claimed Friday that US strikes in Syria were aimed at protecting American personnel in the country, where Islamic State (IS) and what he called "Iran-backed militant groups" remain a threat.
In an interview for CNN, Kirby alleged that the United States is not seeking conflict with Iran, adding that Tehran should not be involved in supporting attacks on US facilities, as per US claims.
Read more: US occupation bombs development center in Syria after drone strike
