U.S. officials say drone attack targeted remote American base in Syria

The al Tanf military base in Syria.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Lolita Baldor)

A coordinated attack was carried out Wednesday against al Tanf, a small U.S. military base in Syria near the border with Jordan, U.S. officials said.

The assault involved "at a minimum" drones and either mortar or rocket fire, a U.S. official told ABC News. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi security officials told ABC News it involved five booby-trapped drones, which are often used by Iranian-backed militias operating in the region.

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There are about 1,000 U.S. troops still in Syria as part of efforts to keep the Islamic State from taking back territory. There is a 35-mile buffer zone around the base, as there are Russian and Syrian government troops in the surrounding area.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.