Video: Alleged Airstrike Reportedly Hits PMF Vehicles Along Syria-Iraq Border
19:54 GMT 14.09.2021 (Updated: 16:46 GMT 08.01.2023)
© Sputnik / Mikhail Alaeddin
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Reports on social media late Tuesday night indicated airstrikes were being conducted near al-Bukamal, a town in Syria on the border with Iraq.
According to the ELINT News Twitter page, the airstrikes struck several vehicles owned by the 46th Brigade of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which it says are dominated by Kata'ib Hezbollah. The Shiite militia, which played a major part in the war against Daesh*, is considered by the US to be a terrorist organization backed by Iran and has been targeted for airstrikes by the US before.
The news account added that it was likely the US was behind Tuesday's strikes as well. However, there has been no official claim of responsibility by any party and the aircraft responsible for the attack were not identified.
Shortly after reports surfaced of the incident, OIR spokesperson Col. Wayne Marotto confirmed that the US did not take part in the airstrikes.
.@CJTFOIR can confirm we did not conduct air strikes in Al-Bukamal, Sept. 14, 2021.
— OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto (@OIRSpox) September 14, 2021
Lebanese outlet Al-Mayadeen reported that two vehicles were on fire, citing a reporter in Baghdad. They reported no casualties, but noted three explosions were heard. Video posted on social media showed two fires raging in the night purported to be the struck vehicles.
Syrie : Des frappes aériennes auraient visé 2 véhicules des PMU (Kataib Hezbollah) au point de passage d’al-Bukamal, à à la frontière entre la Syrie & l'Irak.
— Rebecca Rambar (@RebeccaRambar) September 14, 2021
Les PMU attribuent les frappes aux États-Unis, 3 véhicules auraient été détruits. pic.twitter.com/WFpiO8oF3F
On Saturday, two explosives-laden drones targeted Erbil International Airport in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, but failed to cause any damage. It's unknown if the Tuesday strikes are in response to the incident, as attacks against the airport or other Iraqi bases have in the past served as justification for US airstrikes against PMF militias. However, in the case of Saturday's attack, no one was injured or killed, as has been the case in prior instances where the US responded with airstrikes.
The city of Al-Bukamal is located in Syria's Deir-ez-Zor Governorate and was liberated from Daesh* by the Syrian Arab Army in 2017.
