While the group included some Syrian government soldiers and militias, American military and intelligence officials determined the majority were private Russian paramilitary mercenaries, likely affiliated with the Wagner Group, a company frequently used by the Kremlin to carry out objectives without appearing to be directly linked to the Russian government.Įxclusive interviews with three former Special Forces soldiers who fought in the battle reveal some of the first details about the clash from American troops on the ground. Documents obtained by The New York Times referred to the fighters at the refinery as a " pro-regime force," loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. The Wagner Group seized oil and gas fields in Syria to protect them for the Assad government, with mercenaries earning a share of production proceeds, according to American intelligence officials.
It offered the Russians a foothold on the east side of the river.
Among the largest in the area, it had multiple buildings that provided good cover. Around 500 pro-Syrian government forces, including Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, launched a nearly four-hour attack on a small group of 40 American Special Operations troops and their Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) allies at a Conoco natural gas refinery in eastern Syria. But after months of successful operations against ISIS, the team now faced a new adversary. In February 2018, the American Special Forces team deployed to Syria as part of the ongoing campaign against ISIS that began in 2015. The soldiers' last names have been withheld to protect their identities. "By far, the most chaotic battle scene that I've ever observed, let alone be a part of." "It looked like New York City on New Year's Eve," Chauncey, a former Special Forces team sergeant who helped lead a quick reaction force (QRF) to the refinery, tells The War Horse.
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