Turkish artillery barrages reportedly came dangerously close to US troops in Syria
- Turkish artillery fire nearly hit a small group US troops stationed near the Kurdish-held city of Kobane on Friday afternoon, according to multiple media reports.
- The report comes hours after senior US military officials addressed concerns of a disconnect between Turkish and US forces, amid the offensive that the Turkey has dubbed Operation Peace Spring.
- "The Turkish military is fully aware, down to explicit grid coordinate detail, of the locations of US forces, and we have been in coordination with them," US Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Friday morning.
- Visit Business Insider's hope page for more stories.
Turkish artillery fire nearly struck a small group US troops stationed near the Kurdish-held city of Kobane on Friday afternoon, according to multiple media reports.
A senior Pentagon official said US troops considered returning fire because the barrage was heavy, according to Newsweek, which first reported on the incident. An Iraqi Kurdish intelligence official also confirmed the incident to Newsweek and CNN reported on its details as well.
The report comes hours after senior US military officials addressed concerns of a disconnect between Turkish and US forces, amid an offensive that Turkey has dubbed Operation Peace Spring. Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that roughly 50 US troops were moved out of the immediate vicinity of the Turkish assault against Kurdish forces, and that the US military would be "repositioning additional forces in the region to assist with force protection as necessary."
"The Turkish military is fully aware, down to explicit grid coordinate detail, of the locations of US forces, and we have been in coordination with them," Milley said on Friday morning.
Milley added that the US would "retain the right of self-defense, and our soldier, sailors, airmen and Marines will defend themselves."
"That's clear and it's unambiguous with anybody," he said.
The Defense Department did not respond to requests for comment.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.