US bombs own Syrian base to stop rivals plundering its weapons

Turkish, Russian and Syrian forces are closing in on areas abandoned by the US
Turkish, Russian and Syrian forces are closing in on areas abandoned by the US
NAZEER AL-KHATIB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

US fighter jets have bombed one of their own bases in northeastern Syria in an attempt to prevent American weapons falling into the hands of a hostile army as Turkish, Russian and Syrian government forces closed in.

Two F-15Es struck a munitions storage facility at a former Lafarge cement factory, between the towns of Kobani and Ain Issa, yesterday evening, US officials said.

The Lafarge cement factory between Kobani and Ain Issa had been the US headquarters in the area
The Lafarge cement factory between Kobani and Ain Issa had been the US headquarters in the area
DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The factory had been used as a headquarters of the US-led coalition’s operations against Islamic State until President Trump announced at the weekend that all American troops were to withdraw from the region.

“Two coalition F-15Es successfully conducted a pre-planned precision airstrike at the Lafarge cement factory to destroy an ammunition cache and reduce the facility’s military usefulness,” wrote Colonel Myles Caggins,