Ex-Iranian Envoy: US Setting Up More Secret Bases in Syria

“Currently, the most important issues in Syria are the problems in Hasaka as a Kurdish-populated region, the presence of the Americans in the region, the Americans’ secret bases, the issue of Idlib, Turkey’s illegal deployment on Syrian soil, the US moves in Eastern Syria and the agreement to set up de-escalation zones in Southern Syria,” Raouf Sheibani said on Tuesday.

Noting that the Syrian government has taken the initiative now in the battleground, he enlisted the increasing losses of the terrorists and their foreign supporters, and said, “The opposition and terrorist groups have been faced with repeated defeats and failures, Turkey has changed its priorities, Saudi Arabia has grown weak in the war, the US is confused and differences have increased among the dissidents.”

Footage released recently revealed that the US is operating an airbase in the Eastern parts of Aleppo near the provincial border with Raqqa.

AMN reported last month that the footage showed a large US plane taking off and plenty of Humvees protecting the site.

Also, an American flag is hoisted above the air field which is located in the territory controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

Meanwhile, Colonel Ryan Dillon, the US-led Coalition Spokesman, confirmed dozens of US military advisors were deployed inside Raqqa city with US marines providing artillery support against the ISIL from the surrounding areas.

He said the troops, many of them special operations forces, are working in an “advise, assist and accompany” role to support Kurdish fighters in battle against ISIL.

“They are much more exposed to enemy contact than those in Iraq,” Dillon added.

He stressed that the number of US forces in Raqqa was “not hundreds” and that they had been working closely with SDF fighters since the operations to encircle Raqqa began.

The Pentagon is secretive about exactly how big its footprint is in Syria, but has previously declared that some 500 US special forces are there to train and assist the SDF.

Kurds heavily assisted by US soldiers and bombers – have captured some 35% of Raqqa city despite facing fierce resistance from the ISIL militants.

Meantime, other reports said that the US-led forces have several times transferred the ISIL leaders from Iraq and Syria to other regions by heliborne operations.