Commander of Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Visits Al-Tanf Base After Drones’ Attack

Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, meets with leaders from a Syrian opposition faction in the Al-Tanf base. (Free Syrian Army)
Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, meets with leaders from a Syrian opposition faction in the Al-Tanf base. (Free Syrian Army)
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Commander of Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Visits Al-Tanf Base After Drones’ Attack

Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, meets with leaders from a Syrian opposition faction in the Al-Tanf base. (Free Syrian Army)
Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, meets with leaders from a Syrian opposition faction in the Al-Tanf base. (Free Syrian Army)

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) revealed that an official from the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS held talks with leaders from the FSA on military coordination between both sides.

This comes days after a drones-attack that targeted the Al-Tanf base.

The talks held by Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, reflects “joint efforts to secure a lasting defeat of ISIS and to work towards a better future for the region,” according to a statement issued by the Free Syrian Army.

“The meeting discussed joint cooperation and coordination in military affairs, particularly in training and arming,” added the statement.

Three one-way attack drones targeted the Al-Tanf military base in southeastern Syria, according to a statement issued on January 20 by the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

CENTCOM noted that two of the drones were shot down by Coalition Forces while one struck the compound, injuring two members of an opposition Syrian faction.

The US forces did not accuse any party of the attack, AFP reported.

“Attacks of this kind are unacceptable – they place our troops and our partners at risk,” said Joe Buccino, CENTCOM spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) suggested that the drones belonged to pro-Iranian groups, explaining that the two injured belonged to the Free Syrian Army which is a US-backed opposition faction active in the Al-Tanf area.

The international coalition forces brought a new convoy to the northeast of Syria, coming from Kurdistan-Iraq region through “Al-Waled” border crossing in Al-Hasakah countryside.

The convoy comprises 40 trucks carrying closed wooden boxes, logistic equipment, and fuel tanks, and headed towards the coalition bases in Al-Hasakah, according to SOHR.

The Observatory added that on January 15, the international coalition forces brought in new military reinforcements, including armored vehicles and fuel tankers, via the Al-Walid border crossing towards its military base in Al-Shaddadi town.



Red Cross Gravely Concerned for Nine Missing Medics in Gaza

A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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Red Cross Gravely Concerned for Nine Missing Medics in Gaza

A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

The Red Cross said on Saturday it is gravely concerned about the fate of nine Palestine Red Crescent ambulance crew who have been missing for seven days in Gaza.

The international humanitarian organization has not had any contact with the crew since they came under heavy fire while operating in Rafah in the early hours of March 23, it said in a statement.

"It is vital that there is information and access to ensure the safe return of these humanitarians to their families who are in a nightmare without knowing if their loved ones are alive," it stated.

According to the UN at least 1,060 healthcare workers have been killed in the eighteen months since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on October 7 2023. Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 50,000 people have died in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the health authorities in Gaza. The Israeli military said it does its best to reduce harm to civilians and questioned the death toll provided by health authorities in the Hamas-run territory.