U.S.-led coalition launches strike against Syrian forces

The U.S.-led coalition in Syria conducted a rare strike Wednesday that killed scores of Syrian government-backed troops after they launched a “coordinated attack” on allied forces. The U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve in a statement said some of its troops were at the headquarters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Khusham, a town in the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province, when government-backed troops initiated an “unprovoked attack.” “In defense of coalition and partner forces, the coalition conducted strikes against attacking forces to repel the act of aggression against partners engaged in the global coalition’s defeat-Daesh mission,” the operation said in its statement, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic name. The official Syrian SANA news agency on Thursday confirmed the clashes and said the government-backed troops were fighting Islamic State militants and the SDF in the region.