US will take 'whatever action is necessary' to defend troops on ground

A top US military commander has warned the forces of President Basahr al-Assad that “we will defend ourselves” after Syrian planes and artillery launched operations in an area where American special forces are located, fighting alongside largely Kurdish militias. 

The US dispatched a small number of special forces troops to Syria to assist Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against Islamic State. Yet last Thursday, two Syrian Su-24 ground-attack planes targeted an area close to where they are based.

“We’ve informed the Russians where we’re at … [they] tell us they’ve informed the Syrians, and I’d just say that we will defend ourselves if we feel threatened,” Mr Townsend told CNN.

(Source: The Independent)