Battle of Khasham

On 7 February 2018, the coalition established in 2014 to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) delivered massive air and artillery strikes on the Syrian pro-government forces near the towns of Khasham and Al Tabiyeh in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The United States explained the attack by stating that the pro-government forces had "initiated an unprovoked attack against well-established Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters" in the area, while Coalition service members were "co-located with SDF partners during the attack 8 kilometers (5 mi) east of the agreed-upon Euphrates River de-confliction line". The Russian defense ministry's statement released on 8 February 2018 referred to the incident at the village of Salihiyah (located south of the SDF-held town of Abu Hamam in the Abu Kamal District) and said that it was caused by reconnaissance actions of Syrian militia that had not been cleared with the Russian operations command; the statement stressed that there were no Russian service members in the "designated district of the Deir ez-Zor province of Syria".

The US military stated that one hundred Syrian pro-government fighters were killed in the US attack, prompting Syria to accuse the United States of carrying out a "brutal massacre" of its troops and Russia to accuse the US of being economically motivated in its actions, citing nearby oil fields. As information about casualties among Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in the strike emerged, the incident was billed by media as "the first deadly clash between citizens of Russia and the United States since the Cold War".Russian mercenary boss spoke with Kremlin before attacking US forces in Syria, intel claims
''The Telegraph'', 23 February 2018.

Background

In September 2014, the United States began to undertake efforts to establish a global coalition with the declared aim of countering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.The international coalition to counter ISIL/Da'esh (the 'Islamic State')
17 March 2015. Since September 2014, the US had conducted military operations in Syria, primarily against ISIL forces as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. The primary US-backed force in the northeastern part of Syria is the Syrian Democratic Forces, a group composed predominantly of Kurdish and Arab militiamen. In 2017, backed by US forces, the SDF captured Raqqa from the Islamic State and has since advanced to the Euphrates River, where a deconfliction line was established by the governments of the United States and Russia. On several occasions, US forces struck Syrian pro-government units operating in the area. In November 2017, the US government made it known that they were expanding their goals in Syria beyond routing ISIL forces, to pressure the Syrian government to make concessions at the Geneva talks. This intent was, in mid-January 2018, clearly broadcast by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said the Trump administration would maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to counter Iranian influence and ensure the departure of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.US military to maintain open-ended presence in Syria, Tillerson says: US secretary of state says forces will remain in country in push against Isis, Bashar al-Assad and Iranian influence
''The Guardian'', 17 January 2018.

Russia had been conducting air military operations in Syria in support of the Syrian government since 30 September 2015. Furthermore, Russian private military contractors ("volunteers"), notably those associated with the Wagner Group, had been engaged in ground operations throughout that time, although their presence was never officially confirmed by the Russian government.

In February 2018, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, Commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, talked about the circumstances before the attack: "The coalition observed a slow buildup of personnel and equipment the previous week, and we reminded Russian officials of the SDF and coalition presence via the telephone deconfliction line. This was well in advance of the enemy forces' attack. I know you're going to ask, so I'm going to be clear that I will not speculate on the composition of this force or whose control they were under."News Transcript: Department Of Defense Press Briefing by Lieutenant General Harrigian via teleconference from Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar: Press Operations: Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigian, commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command
U.S. Department of Defense, 13 February 2018. Harrigian presented the U.S. strike as demonstration of the coalition's readiness "to prevent a resurgence of ISIS".

On 22 February 2018, ''The Washington Post'' cited unnamed sources in U.S. intelligence as alleging that the communications intercepted days before and after the incident between Russian businessman Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who was believed to finance the Wagner Group, and senior Syrian officials, such as Mansour Fadlallah Azzam, as well as Kremlin officials, suggested that Prigozhin had "secured permission" from an unspecified Russian minister to go ahead with a "fast and strong" move in early February and was awaiting approval from the Syrian government.Putin ally said to be in touch with Kremlin, Assad before his mercenaries attacked U.S. troops
''The Washington Post'', 22 February 2018. A few days before, Prigozhin had been indicted by the Grand Jury for the District of Columbia on charges related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. A publication by the Ukraine-based anti-Kremlin Inform Napalm alleged the operation had been cleared with the Russian military command by Sergey Kim, the chief of Wagner's operations department and a former Russian Marine officer.Провальную операцию РФ в Хишаме планировал начальник оперативного отделения ЧВК «Вагнера» Сергей Ким
Inform Napalm, 19 February 2018.Wagner's failed attack on US forces in Syria 'led by former Russian Marine officer'
Kyiv Post, 19 February 2018.

Incident and casualties

U.S. version

According to the U.S. military's official statement, around 10 p.m. local time on the night of 7 February 2018, a force of 500 pro-government fighters consisting of local militiamen, Syrian Army regulars, Iranian-trained Afghan Shia fighters, and reportedly Russian contractors launched an assault on a Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters near the town of Khasham, located on the Euphrates River in Syria.Unprovoked attack by Syrian pro-regime forces prompts Coalition defensive strikes
CJTF-OIR PAO, 7 February 2018. Supported by T-72 and T-55 tanks, the pro-government troops first shelled the SDF base with artillery, mortars, and rockets in what U.S. military officials described as a "coordinated attack." Around 20–30 shells landed within 500 meters of the headquarters. According to the U.S. military, the presence of U.S. special operations personnel in the targeted base elicited a response by coalition aircraft, including AC-130 gunships, F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles (MQ-9), AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, B-52s, and F-22s. Nearby U.S artillery batteries, including a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, shelled Syrian forces as well. According to sources in the Russian private military company—Wagner Group, cited by news media as well as the Pentagon—U.S. forces were in constant contact with the official Russian liaison officer posted in Deir ez-Zor throughout the engagement and only opened fire after they had received assurances that no regular Russian troops were in action or at risk.Имена и фамилии погибших бойцов "ЧВК Вагнера"
Radio Liberty, 14 February 2018.

The clashes lasted four hours and saw more than 100 Syrian pro-government fighters killed, with one SDF fighter injured, according to the coalition. No U.S. troops were reported killed or wounded.

According to two unnamed U.S. defense officials cited by CNN on 8 February, the U.S. military had assessed that Russian contractors had been involved, with one saying some of the contractors had been killed in the airstrikes. A Kurdish militia commander and an ex-Russian officer also claimed Russian private military contractors (PMCs) were present and suffered casualties during the strikes. During the two weeks following the incident, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and other U.S. military officials repeatedly stated that U.S. military commanders were in contact with their official Russian counterparts prior to, during, and after the clash and the U.S military were told by their Russian counterparts that there were no Russians in the paramilitary formation.

On 13 February 2018, unclassified footage depicting the coalition's targeted airstrikes on a pro-government T-72 tank position and a reported Russian contractor artillery position in the Khasham area was released by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Syrian government version

In an official statement that was released by the "ISIS Hunters" unit of the Syrian military, they had received intelligence that ISIL forces were moving towards Khasham and government forces decided to move from the Euphrates so to cut off ISIL's line of attack. At this point, armed groups were spotted east of Khasham, in SDF-held territory, which then attacked the government's troops. The groups were quickly pushed back. The military claimed that, according to intercepted radio traffic, the groups were partly ISIL and partly Kurds, and retreated towards the Conoco factory. At this point, pro-government units were hit by airstrikes. According to Syrian military sources, some 55 pro-government fighters were killed, including around 10 Russian fighters.

''Der Spiegel'' and SOHR version

''Der Spiegel'' version

Three weeks after the incident, Germany's ''Der Spiegel'' published their own investigative report based on evidence gleaned from multiple first-hand sources (participants and witnesses) in the area. According to this report, pro-Syrian government forces spent a week prior to the event gathering in the Deir ez-Zor military airport, which is located to the West of the Euphrates river and South of the city of Deir , which is the capital city of Deir ez-Zor governorate. In the vicinity of this city, the Euphrates river runs roughly from the North-West to the South-East (flowing into neighboring Iraq) and splits the city in two. The Syrian government controlled all areas West of the river (including the great majority of Deir ez-Zor city) and also a salient on the river's East bank across from this capital city, whereas the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) controlled almost all other territory East of the river (excluding this salient and the islands in the river).

These Iranian-backed forces that had gathered consisted of members of the Syrian Army's elite 4th Armoured Division, members of the militias of the local Bekara and Albo Hamad Arab tribes, and members of the Iranian-controlled Fatemiyoun and Zainebiyoun brigades. Contrary to what was widely reported at the time, ''Der Spiegel'' later reported that according to witnesses, no Russian mercenaries were part of this formation. At the time, Russia and the United States had an agreement that no more than 400 pro-Syrian government fighters could be in the (Syrian-government controlled) salient on the river's East bank. As with the deconfliction line, the Syrian government itself never officially agreed to this limit but due to its dependence on Russia, the Syrian Army had nevertheless been, by and large, ''de facto'' adhering to them; the Iranian government also never joined either of these two bilateral U.S.–Russian agreements. Compared to its influence over the Syrian government, the Russian government had significantly less influence over Iran's government, military, and proxies in Syria, which constituted a large portion of pro-Syrian government ground forces in both Deir ez-Zor and throughout Syria. The Syrian government's dependence on these ground forces for territorial control (a consequence of severe manpower shortages in the Syrian military) gave Iran significant influence over it, to the extent that Russia and Iran had to increasingly compete for control and influence over the Syria government. ''Der Spiegel'' report did not indicate whether this formation was under Iranian or Syrian command or what attempt, if any, Russia made to force the Syrian and Iranian governments to comply with these U.S.–Russian agreements.

At around 5 a.m. on 7 February 2018, around 250 of these fighters attempted to cross the Euphrates over a military pontoon bridge located to the South-East of both the Deir ez-Zor airport and the SDF base near the city of Khasham. Warning shots fired by the United States military stopped this (morning) advance and these fighters withdrew back to the West of the Euphrates; these warning shots did not result in any injuries. According to ''Der Spiegel'', witnesses said that no Russian mercenaries were part of this group.

Later that same day, under the cover of darkness, about twice as many pro-Syrian government fighters successfully crossed a different bridge that was located to the North-East of the Deir ez-Zor airport. They arrived at the village of Marrot, which is to the North-West of both Khusham and the nearby SDF base. At around 10 p.m. that night, these fighters began to advance South-East toward Khusham. Concurrently, another group of Syrian tribal militia and Shia fighters began to advance Northward towards Khasham from Tabiyeh, a Syrian-government controlled town located East of the Euphrates that is significantly closer to Khasham (and the nearby the SDF base) than Marrot is. The United States military once again opened fire, but this time with the intention of inflicting casualties.Christoph Reuter
American Fury: The Truth About the Russian Deaths in Syria: Hundreds of Russian soldiers are alleged to have died in U.S. airstrikes at the beginning of February. Reporting by DER SPIEGEL shows that events were likely very different.
''Der Spiegel'', 2 March 2018. According to ''Der Spiegel'' report, no Russians were in either formation; yet there was a small contingent of Russian PMCs stationed in Tabiyeh who were not participating in the fighting. Notwithstanding that, between 10 and 20 of the Russians were killed in the U.S. strikes, while most of the formations' deaths were reportedly among the servicemen of the 4th Division of the Syrian Army. Further strikes were carried out on the mornings of February 8 and 9 on tribal militia members that had come to retrieve dead bodies.

SOHR version

Similarly, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 68 pro-government fighters were killed during the day in the area, including 45 who died in the coalition airstrikes, with most being Syrians. The remaining 23 pro-government personnel, including 15 Russians PMCs, were not killed in the airstrikes, but instead caught in a booby-trapped explosion at an arms depot at Al Tabiyeh. The PMCs were accompanying government forces as they advanced towards the SDF-held oil and gas fields.

Unofficial Russian sources version

Shortly after the strikes, various Russian unofficial sources began to publicize information that a number of Russian "volunteers" (PMCs) had been killed in the strikes, with some posts on Russian social media making claims of over 200 Russian PMCs being killed, although the veracity of this information was questioned and could not be confirmed. A known critic of the company that hired the contractors, Yevgeny Shabayev, also claimed 218 PMCs were killed and that the families were still waiting for their remains. Additionally, a Russian military doctor, a leader of a PMC-linked paramilitary Cossack organization and a source with ties to Wagner claimed 80–100 PMCs were killed and 200 wounded.

Contrary to the claims of hundreds of deaths among the PMCs, a Russian investigative group, the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), confirmed 10 contractor deathsRussia's use of mercenaries in Syria is causing trouble back home
'' The National'', 19 February 2018. and estimated a total of between 20 and 30 had died. A Russian journalist also believed between 20 and 25 PMCs died in the strikes. On 17 February, a ''Wagner'' leader, Andrey Troshev, was quoted as saying 14 "volunteers" died in the battle. Three other ''Wagner'' commanders also stated the claim of 200 dead was an exaggeration and that 15 PMCs were killed at the most.

A Russian newspaper, citing Russian military and contractor sources, reported pro-government forces were attempting to capture the Conoco (locally called Al Tabiyeh) gas field from the SDF.

Official reaction

* – Russian member of parliament Franz Klintsevich called U.S. strikes illegal and an act of aggression. Russia has accused the United States of being motivated by the presence of oil in the area. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, called the strikes "regrettable" and promised to raise it to the Security Council. On 8 February 2018, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, without referring to the U.S. strike, spoke of "the US military presence in Syria present nga serious challenge to the peace process and thwart ngthe protection of the country's territorial integrity."
* – The Syrian foreign ministry wrote to the United Nations calling for the international community to condemn U.S. actions and labeled them as a war crime, a "brutal massacre," and a crime against humanity. The Syrian government also accused American forces of aiding terrorism and violating Syria's sovereignty.
* – Ali Khamenei strongly condemned the confrontation and stated "Today, the U.S. government is the cruelest and most merciless system in the world, which is even worse than the savage ISIS members."

Political ramifications in Russia and abroad

In the wake of the incident, in absence of any official comments in response to allegations about Russian fatalities, details about Russian citizens' involvement and casualties in the U.S. strike began to be made public through social and mass media, provoking resentment and outrage from sections of the Russian public.Dozens of Russians Are Believed Killed in U.S.-Backed Syria Attack
''New York Times'', 13 February 2018. The issue gained additional sensitivity in Russia in view of the upcoming presidential election in March 2018. Prominent among those figures who were early on publicising information about presumably high numbers of Russian casualties in the U.S. strike was Igor Strelkov, who in late February 2018 was registered as an authorized representative of Sergey Baburin, the leader of the nationalist Russian All-People's Union and a candidate for the 2018 Russian presidential election.

Bloomberg, as well as other commentators, opined that both the Russian government and the Trump administration in their official statements appeared to seek to obfuscate any role of the Russian government in the incident.Don't Be Fooled: Russia Attacked U.S. Troops in Syria: Mattis gave Putin "plausible deniability" for a military assault that went badly awry.
Bloomberg, 16 February 2018. Irek Murtazin of Novaya Gazeta and analyst Yury Barmin speculated that the Russian military command (the MoD) might have wittingly let the Wagner unit find itself in harm's way.

On 12 February 2018, Grigory Yavlinsky called on president Vladimir Putin to present an account of whether any Russian military forces have been involved in the battle. Meanwhile, Russia's government-run news agency TASS acknowledged, with reference to a Cossack organisation, the death in a battle near Deir ez-Zor of a Russian "volunteer", sotnik Vladimir Loginov, a resident of the Kaliningrad Region. The news media also identified by name four more Russians killed during the strike, including Kirill Ananiev, a veteran member of the banned National Bolshevik Party. News outlets also noted that Vladimir Putin abruptly cancelled most of his previously announced engagements scheduled for 12 and 13 February, his press service citing his ill health, and instead had a secret conference with his top military chiefs; he also had a telephone conversation with U.S. president Donald Trump on 12 February, with no details revealed.

Russian politician and an authorised representative of the Communist Party's candidate for the 2018 Russian presidential election Pavel Grudinin, Viktor Alksnis, speaking on the Radio Liberty, voiced an opinion that the U.S. strike was designed as a demonstration of the U.S.'s military superiority as well as their dominance in the region and might have serious geopolitical consequences for Russia.

On 14 February, the presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov

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