Two British special forces soldiers injured in IS missile attack in Syria

Ellen Manning
<em>Two British special forces soldiers have been seriously injured in a missile attack by the Islamic State terror group in Syria (Picture: AP Photo, File)</em>
Two British special forces soldiers have been seriously injured in a missile attack by the Islamic State terror group in Syria (Picture: AP Photo, File)

Two British special forces soldiers have been seriously injured in Syria in a missile attack by Islamic State (IS).

The soldiers were reportedly airlifted for medical treatment by US forces after the incident, which it is believed happened on Saturday morning.

Kurdish news outlet Rudaw reported that the British soldiers were hurt in an attack on a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) base in the town of Deir al-Zour, which also left a Kurdish fighter dead.

An SDF official told Rudaw: “Due to a smart missile attack by Isis (another term for IS), a fighter of the YPG (Kurdish militia) was killed and another wounded, in addition to two British soldiers.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We do not comment on special forces.”

The UK has formed part of a US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria.

In December, Donald Trump announced that he was withdrawing US troops from Syria, where he claimed IS had been defeated.

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The US President said: “We have defeated Isis in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.”

The move prompted the resignations of US defence secretary Jim Mattis and top US official Brett McGurk, as analysts and military experts said the threat posed by IS still remains.

British special forces are believed to be on the ground in Syria, although the Government never comments on their deployment.