U.S. Army M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle deployment to northeast Syria has helped to lower tensions and prevent new conflicts in the region.
The U.S. military has sent M2A2 Bradley fighting vehicles to eastern Syria in September to help protect the hundreds of American troops stationed there following series of tense encounters with Russian forces.
Tensions with Russian troops in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility have since decreased.
According to the Combined Joint Task Force, the U.S. soldiers are in Syria to support the Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) mission. The mechanized infantry troops partnering with Syrian Democratic Forces to deny Daesh access to critical infrastructure in eastern Syria and continues to secure oil fields not only from the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and Syria but also from the Syrian government and Russian forces.
As ABC News previously reported, the deployment of the Bradleys is a direct result of the Aug. 26 incident where a Russian armored vehicle rammed an American military patrol vehicle injuring seven service members.
“These actions and reinforcements are a clear signal to adhere to mutual de-confliction processes and for Russia and other parties to avoid unprofessional and unsafe and provocative action in eastern Syria,” said the U.S. official.
That incident was deemed serious enough that Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, phoned his Russian counterpart to express concerns about Russian actions that some officials described as “reckless.”
