US-led coalition denies its strikes hit Syria army base

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group denied Monday its planes carried out air strikes that killed at least three Syrian regime troops a day earlier.

"We've seen those Syrian reports but we did not conduct any strikes in that part of Deir Ezzor yesterday. So we see no evidence," said Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the coalition.

He said the coalition's only strikes in Deir Ezzor on Sunday were some 55 kilometres (34 miles) southeast of the area where the troops were allegedly killed, near the town of Ayyash.

"We struck 55 km away from the area that the Syrians say was struck. That was the only area in Deir Ezzor we struck yesterday," he told AFP.

"There were no human beings in the area that we struck yesterday, all we struck was a wellhead," he added.

Syria's government on Monday strongly condemned what it said were US-led strikes that killed at least three Syrian soldiers at an army base.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, also reported the strikes, saying four troops had been killed and 13 wounded.
Source: AFP