Pentagon confirms one Iran-backed fighter killed in Syria, two more wounded

One Iran-backed fighter was killed and two more were wounded during last week’s airstrike carried out by the United States, a Pentagon official said Monday.

Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said, “it was likely one militia member was killed,” and two more were wounded.

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Last week, US forces used two fighter jets to drop seven precision-guided munitions on two Iranian proxies along the Syria-Iraq border. The Pentagon said the strikes destroyed nine facilities near the Al-Boukamal border.

“We'll continue to assess ... and if that changes, we'll certainly let you know,” Kirby said during a press briefing.

The US does not know the nationality of the fighter killed.

Kirby was asked if intelligence may have been leaked ahead of the operation, Kirby said: “We have no indication of that.”

Responding to reports that the strike had no “real operational effect” on the militias, Kirby said the attack was designed to do two things. “To remove that compound from their utilization of it as an entry control point from Syria into Iraq and to send a very strong signal that we’re not going to tolerate attacks on our people and our Iraqi partners,” he said.

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