At the start of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), U.S. coalition forces found themselves in a fierce confrontation near the town of Khasham in eastern Syria. Pro-government Syrian troops, along with Russian private military contractors, launched a coordinated offensive targeting a base held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—key allies of the U.S. in the fight against ISIS.
In response, U.S. forces, supported by precision airstrikes and artillery, delivered a powerful counterattack. Despite being heavily outnumbered, American troops held their ground and suffered no casualties. The engagement, later named the Battle of Khasham, became one of the most intense clashes of the campaign.
News outlets in 2018 highlighted the incident as a rare and alarming moment in post–Cold War history, dubbing it “the first deadly clash between citizens of Russia and the United States since the Cold War.”
Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) began in 2014
In late 2014, the U.S. initiated Operation Inherent Resolve, formally beginning its military campaign in Syria to dismantle and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). With critical U.S. backing, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) made steady gains, culminating in the successful capture of Raqqa—ISIL’s de facto capital—by 2017. As operations extended toward the Euphrates River, American and Russian forces agreed to a deconfliction line, intended to avoid unintended clashes between their troops operating in the same volatile region.
Meanwhile, Russia had entered the conflict in 2015, launching an air campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Alongside its official military presence, Russia deployed private military contractors, most notably the Wagner Group, whose operatives were involved in combat operations on the ground. Despite widespread reporting and evidence, the Kremlin has never formally acknowledged these fighters as representatives of the Russian state.
A growing presence of militia fighters
An outpost at Conoco, close to Khasham, acted as the Syrian Democratic Forces’ headquarters. There, 30 U.S. soldiers from the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force) and the 75th Ranger Regiment (Army Rangers), were stationed to support Kurdish forces in the vicinity
Meanwhile, U.S. Marines and Green Berets positioned 20 miles away offered reconnaissance and surveillance support for the outpost.
On February 7, 2018, these forces found themselves increasingly encircled by over 500 pro-government militia members, reinforced by T-72 and T-55 tanks. Drone surveillance provided an early alert, enabling them to organize a quick-reaction force in case of a conflict.
Battle of Khasham commences
At around 10:00 PM that evening, the Russian and Syrian militia began their assault on the outpost.
Using artillery and mortar rounds in what the US officials called an “uncoordinated attack,” the American soldiers retaliated by firing Javelin anti-tank missiles. As The New York Times reported, “The air was filled with dust and shrapnel. […] For the first 15 minutes, American military officials called their Russian counterparts and urged them to stop the attack. When that failed, American troops fired warning shots at a group of vehicles and a howitzer.”
Prior to the eruption of the Battle of Khasham, military officials at the Combined Air Operations Center in Qatar had spotted the growing Russian and pro-government force and quickly deployed air support.
“American warplanes arrived in waves, including Reaper drones, F-22 stealth fighter jets, F-15E Strike Fighters, B-52 bombers, AC-130 gunships and AH-64 Apache helicopters,” The New York Times wrote. “For the next three hours, American officials said, scores of strikes pummeled enemy troops, tanks and other vehicles. Marine rocket artillery was fired from the ground.”
Late arrival of the quick response forces
The Battle of Khasham went on for about three hours before a team of Marines and Green Berets arrived as a quick response force. To stay hidden, the drivers used night vision goggles to navigate instead of turning on their headlights.
The journey was tough, with roads “littered with felled power lines and shell craters.” At one point, the team had to stop because “the barrage of artillery was too dangerous to drive through until airstrikes silenced the enemy’s howitzers and tanks,” according to The New York Times.
The quick response force finally reached the battlefield at 1:00 AM, just as enemy vehicles burned and the attackers began shifting to a ground assault.
Aftermath of the Battle of Khasham and transparency
The Battle of Khasham ended soon after the attacking forces pulled back. Despite the intensity of the fighting, no U.S. troops were injured, while U.S. estimates indicated that between 200 and 300 enemy fighters were killed.
American officials released a detailed explanation of the events, stating that pro-government forces, supported by Russian elements, had attacked the Syrian Democratic Forces at a time when U.S. personnel were positioned just east of the Euphrates River in the designated deconfliction zone.
In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the assault was carried out by Syrian militia units conducting unauthorized reconnaissance and that the action had not been coordinated with Russian military leadership. They also stated that no Russian service members were present in the Deir ez-Zor region during the battle.
US officials kept in constant contact with the Russians
Following the Battle of Khasham, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, commander of the US Air Forces Central Command, said that, prior, “The coalition observed a slow buildup of personnel and equipment the previous week, and we reminded Russian officials of the SDF and coalition presence via the telephone deconfliction line. This was well in advance of the enemy forces’ attack.”
Throughout the engagement, US officials were in constant contact with the official Russian liaison officer in Deir ez-Zor. They made sure only to open fire once they were told that absolutely no regular Russian troops were participating.
Did the Russians approve of the Battle of Khasham?
While Russian officials claim they had no part in authorizing the attack at Conoco, two sources alleged that a Russian minister was involved. On February 22, 2018, The Washington Post published an article alleging that communications between the late leader of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin and senior Syrian and Kremlin officials had been intercepted.
In these communications, Prigozhim was said to have “secured permission” from an unnamed Russian minister to go ahead with an attack and that all that was needed was approval from the Syrian government. Additionally, the Ukraine-based anti-Russian publication InformNapalm alleged the attack had been cleared by Sergej Kim, the chief of Wagner’s operations department and a former Russian naval infantry officer.
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Despite these claims, Russian officials continued to assure the public that they weren’t involved in the attack.