Military law enforcement on June 16 arrested an American airman as part of an ongoing investigation into an insider attack on a small U.S. base in northern Syria that injured four service members in April, CNN reported Tuesday.
“An airman was taken into custody stateside in conjunction with the attack in Green Village, Syria,” Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek told CNN. “After reviewing the information in the investigation, the airman’s commander made the decision to place him in pretrial confinement.”
Stefanek did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Air Force Times Tuesday evening.
RELATED
A U.S. service member has been identified as a possible suspect in an April explosion that injured several U.S. troops at a base in eastern Syria.
She declined to disclose the airman’s name unless he is charged in military court, which could come in the next few weeks, according to CNN. Stefanek has not provided the man’s unit, career field or whether he was an active duty member, or where he is being held.
U.S. Central Command has described Green Village in northeast Syria as a “Syrian Democratic Forces base with a small coalition advisory presence.” It’s unclear which airmen work out of that post.
On April 14, one week after the attack, Operation Inherent Resolve officials announced that the explosions were not caused by indirect fire on the installation, but “the deliberate placement of explosive charges … at an ammunition holding area and shower facility.”
RELATED
U.S.-led coalition forces captured a senior leader of the extremist Islamic State group in a military operation on Thursday, the coalition said.
CNN previously reported that the explosives were more powerful than hand grenades, but did not specify what type of weapon was used. Stefanek did not answer whether the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division are looking into any other suspects.
The service members who were injured in the blast were treated for traumatic brain injuries and returned to work. They are among approximately 900 American troops who remain in Syria to back government opponents in the ongoing civil war there, now in its 11th year.
Rachel Cohen joined Air Force Times as senior reporter in March 2021. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md.), the Washington Post, and others.
Tens of thousands of Guard and Reserve soldiers face potential discharges as the Army deals with a tough year for recruiting.
The chief of staff of the Army presided over the ceremony, noting that while the awards were long overdue, they were still worth giving.
Emails obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune confirm that federal authorities are probing discrimination claims involving Gov. Greg Abbott’s multibillion-dollar border initiative.
The Pentagon lifted a longstanding ban that prevented troops and civilians from searching for abortion-related term last month.
Experts are split on the Army's quick reversal of high school education waivers, but some applicants are left out in the cold.
About 6,000 Navy, Army and Air Force families were affected by the toxic spill. Their trust in the military remains low.
The team hired real special ops members to appear in a major combat scene and also employed former troops behind-the-scenes in a variety of roles.
Air Force linguists scrambled to keep up through the Afghanistan withdrawal and, now, the war in Ukraine.
"Our head is above water, but I'm not sure for how long," one soldier said of his family.
The notable military figures were included among 17 individuals being granted the nation's highest civilian honor.
Some schools have reported significant problems in navigating recent changes to veterans education benefits.
Hershel “Woody” Williams, awarded the nation's highest combat honor in 1945, passed away Wednesday.
Russia said it withdrew its forces from the island as a “goodwill gesture.” Ukraine said the Russians fled following a barrage of artillery and missiles.
Relatives say Lois “Bunny” Drueke spoke to her son Alexander Drueke, one of two Alabama veterans captured earlier this month in Ukraine, via telephone.
Four wives of fighter pilots dish the details you don’t see in the Hollywood films on this episode of The Spouse Angle.
Load More