UPDATE 1-U.S.-led coalition says troops returned fire in northeast Syria

UPDATE 1-U.S.-led coalition says troops returned fire in northeast Syria
Representative image. Image Credit: Wikimedia
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  • United States

The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State said its troops opened fire on Wednesday at a checkpoint in northeast Syria after they came under small arms fire.

The coalition said in a statement the situation was calmed down and the patrol returned to the base. Earlier, Syrian and Turkish media said one person was killed in the shooting at the checkpoint and that U.S. warplanes had carried out at least one airstrike subsequently. The coalition statement made no reference to any airstrike.

Syria's state news agency SANA said one civilian was killed and another wounded when U.S. forces opened fire on people after their vehicles were stopped at a checkpoint, in the village of Kherbat Amo, east of Qamishli. SANA said the shooting was followed by an airstrike on the village in rural Qamishli, near the border with Turkey. Turkey's state-owned Anadolu agency said two airstrikes took place.

"What are nine armored vehicles doing in a peaceful village. They were confronted by the locals," said Abdul Salah Bakri, a resident of the village in a voice recording sent on an internet messaging application. Residents said a Russian patrol from a contingent in Qamishli airport was sent to the village, which lies in an area in northeast Syria where Russian, U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces and the Syrian army all have a presence.

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