500 pro-Syrian government troops led by a detachment of Wagner PMC fighters versus
40 American special forces and a handful of their Syrian rebel allies. It was a battle that
almost became a massacre for America's most elite warriors, but not only was no American
even wounded, the opposing force was utterly devastated- and we have... Russia to thank?
The conflict in Syria has been raging for years, with the United States of America and the Russian
Federation both supporting opposing sides. The US and its coalition partners support the
Syrian Democratic forces, a group of rebels from varying groups who all have one goal:
overthrow the government of Bashar-al Assad and bring him to justice for his many crimes
against humanity. The Russian Federation naturally supports Assad's dictatorship,
if for nothing else than because Assad has made it clear that the Russian navy
will maintain access to the Mediterranean via leased naval facilities on Syria's
coast. The opportunity to commit wanton war crimes is just a plus for Russian troops.
Both sides have been careful to steer clear of each other's
military forces. When Syrian Democratic Forces captured Raqqa from ISIL in 2017,
the Euphrates River became a defacto border between US-backed rebels and the Russian-backed
Syrian government. A deconfliction line was set up between the US and Russia to ensure
that neither side accidentally engaged each other's forces, specially vital due
to the heavy presence of air power on the US side, and ground based air defenses on the Russian side.
While the Russian Aerospace Forces provide air support,
Russia's main tool on the ground is the Wagner group, the now infamous shadowy
PMC which acts like an extension of the Russian government. Or at least used to,
in the good old days before Prigozhin tried to march on Moscow before changing his mind. Back
then at least, Wagner acted in unison with the Russian government's wishes, giving the Kremlin
plausible deniability as its operatives inflicted mayhem across the middle east and Africa.
The Euphrates had served as a tentative border between pro-government and rebel forces,
but the Syrian government had managed to secure a small salient across the river. The US and Russia
both agreed that no more than 400 troops could be stationed in that salient at any one time,
and while Syria nor Iranian-backed militias were party to this agreement,
the Syrian government needed Russian support bad enough to agree to these terms by proxy.
The troop limit was meant to prevent a sudden offensive by pro-government forces,
which otherwise would have to cross the river giving rebel forces ample time to mount a defense.
Details of what happened next remain very murky, but a narrative can be pieced together from
various sources, while disregarding the more outlandish claims out there. What we do know
is that the rebel forces held very profitable oil facilities near the Euphrates, and in past
conflicts Wagner PMC has often been compensated by being granted a share in 'liberated'- a term
we use extremely loosely here- mining and oil extracting or processing facilities. Several
days before the infamous attack, US intelligence intercepted communications between Wagner's chief,
Yevgeny Prigozhin, and senior Syrian officials as well as Kremlin officials. The intercepted
communications painted a picture of the Kremlin and the Syrian government giving Prigozhin the
green light to go ahead with a quote- fast and strong- operation sometime in early February.
The only problem for both the Syrian government and Prigozhin's ambitions was a detachment of US
special forces based near the lucrative oil facilities that Prigozhin hoped to seize.
Wagner nor the Russian government could launch an all-out attack that couldn’t be
traced directly back to them, so days before the battle, US intelligence began to note the
arrival of dozens of fighters just across the Euprhates. US officials quickly notified their
Russian counterparts about the massing troops, but the Russians claimed that they had no control
over local fighters. This would fly in the face of intercepted radio communications in
Russian coming from the massing troops. Officially, the Russians claimed that
the gathering force were Syrian government soldiers and members of various militias,
fighting on their own initiative. However, US intelligence was extremely confident that a
significant number of the fighters assembling in the area were Wagner military contractors.
As the force began to move out at around 3pm local time, it was clear that it was
making its way to a Conoco gas plant near the city of Deir al-Zour. Right in the force's
way was a headquarters manned by between 30 to 40 US Delta Force soldiers and Rangers,
alongside a few Kurdish and Arab allies. If the Wagner-led force was going to capture
the Conoco plant, it would have to go straight through the Americans.
Watching via drone feeds, the tiny America-led force was not just outnumbered ten to one,
but the Syrian forces were advancing with 27 armored vehicles,
including several tanks. US forces on the ground had nothing that could stop a tank.
About twenty miles away, Green Berets and a platoon of Marine infantry also
watched the advancing force via drone feed, waiting for the call to roll out.
They were equipped with Stryker armored vehicles, but could bring man-portable
weapons to bear on the Syrian tanks. Even if the Marines and Green Berets got there
in time, they would still be significantly outnumbered and outgunned in raw firepower.
Also monitoring the situation was the American air operations center at Al
Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which immediately placed all available air assets on alert.
Nobody could be sure that the Wagner-led Syrian force was truly aiming for a fight,
it wouldn't be the first time that they had attempted to intimidate the US or
its allies into concessions. However, the previously intercepted communications made
the Americans wary that this was the big move Prigozhin had been asking for permission to
make. And the formation's movement towards the Conoco plant seemed to back this suspicion up.
As evening began to fall, it was clear that the Syrian formation was making its move. At the
mission support site, 20 miles away from the US Delta Force and Rangers, Marines scrambled into
four Strykers to be ready to provide support if needed. They were still only 16 strong,
but the Strykers could deliver a world of pain on their own with great precision.
Their equipment was far superior to anything the Syrians or even Wagner forces had on hand,
with extra Javelin anti-tank missiles tossed into the vehicles alongside
thermal optics and extra food and water. Everyone involved expected a significant,
and protracted battle to come- but the order to move out hadn't been issued yet.
At 8:30 pm, the spearhead of the enemy formation had made it to a mile from the plant. Led by three
T-72 tanks, the US forces at the Conoco plant had nothing to match that level of firepower. But the
tanks had stopped, and there was hope that the ensuing battle could be averted. Secretly though,
more tanks and vehicles gathered in nearby neighborhoods, using the buildings as cover
to remain unseen. US drones though watched their every move. Even so, the quick reaction
force of Marines had not been dispatched, the Pentagon hoping that a conflict could be avoided.
Then, suddenly, all hell broke loose.
Long-range artillery began to open up on the American position, supplemented by much closer
mortars. The T-72s also opened up with their main guns, while armored vehicles strafed with their
cannons and heavy machine guns. The fire was largely inaccurate, but dangerous in volume.
US forces and their partners ran for cover behind dirt berms, preparing to use their small store of
anti-tank missiles on the advancing vehicles. However, the US still attempted to avoid an
all-out confrontation, very confident that Russian Wagner mercenaries were amongst the enemy troops.
The last thing the Trump administration wanted was an accidental war with Russia.
For fifteen minutes after the attack began, US officials repeatedly called
their Russian counterparts asking them to recall the attacking force. However,
Russian officials repeatedly denied knowledge of the attack, claiming that the gathered forces
were Syrian volunteers and government troops that they had no control over.
The Quick Reaction Force was already on its way though, but driving on very rough
roads and with their headlights off to avoid being targeted. Instead they relied on night
vision and thermal cameras, making an already slow drive even slower.
With US troops under fire, and the Russians refusing to cease the attack,
Secretary of Defense Jim Matthis turned to General Joseph F. Dunford Jr.,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Deep inside the belly of the Pentagon, they watched via live
drone feeds the advancing forces who were now starting to become dangerously accurate with
their fire as they drew closer. SecDef Mattis then gave a simple command: “Annihilate them.”
Within seconds, the Secretary of Defense's order had reached American commanders in the region.
At the Conoco plant, The Rangers and Green Berets had already expended their small
supply of anti-tank weapons. This had knocked several of the armored vehicles out of the fight,
but just under two dozen more continued to advance- albeit a hell of a lot more
cautiously now. The Russians had gotten their first taste of the Javelin,
before being served a three course meal in Ukraine years later.
But US forces were entirely outmanned,
and enemy artillery was making it difficult to engage approaching troops.
Within minutes of General Mattis' order,
the US Air Force began to bring the pain. First to strike were armed drones,
the same ones currently overwatching the conflict. But these drones had very limited munitions,
and could do little to impact the fighting on the ground. Additional Reaper drones began to arrive,
carrying out precision strikes against enemy artillery and mortar positions.
Next came waves of American fighters. F-22 Raptors had already been sent near the fighting. Russian
air defenses extended well over this piece of Syria, and the US could not know how Russia
would react once it began to launch a full scale air operation. The Raptors therefore
had been sent to ensure Russian fighters did not interfere, but with none on the horizon,
they were turned loose on the ground forces below. F-15 Strike Eagles were hot on their heels,
delivering punishing precision strikes against artillery and mortar positions.
At around 11:30 pm, the quick reaction force of Marines had reached the fighting,
but forced to hang back due to the heavy artillery. Their own vehicles would be
made mincemeat by the enemy tanks and heavier infantry fighting vehicles,
so the Marines were forced to sit back and wait. But they wouldn't have to wait long.
Marine rocket artillery based dozens of miles away had been feeding precision
rockets into the fight with the aid of drones, striking at enemy artillery. Not long after,
a flight of Apache helicopters came screaming out of the horizon,
delivering a withering barrage of missiles and rockets to the advancing tanks and armored
vehicles. A Russian survivor would later describe the American Apaches as “whirling
carousels of heavy machine gun and cannon fire”, as the armored helicopters strafed
across the advancing enemy at treetop height, wary of man-portable air defense weapons.
High above them though, the Air Force had finally brought out the big guns- the B-52
strategic bombers. These lumbering arsenal ships had taken longer to get to the fight
than the much nimbler strike aircraft, but they disgorged earth-shattering amounts of firepower
on the enemy below. The enemy artillery and mortar positions were of highest priority,
as they were preventing the QRF from reaching the beleagured Rangers and Delta Force operatives.
With the artillery destroyed, the QRF finally made it to the besieged American defenders,
providing some much needed relief- even if they were still woefully outnumbered. US planes,
low on fuel or out of ordnance, had by now been forced to turn back,
opening up a brief window for the Wagner-led attack.
Many of the enemy had abandoned their vehicles by now, now more a liability than protection,
and advanced on foot. The newly arrived Marines fed fresh ammo to the defenders,
who by now were nearly out of everything- down to just a few magazines of rifle ammunition.
Machine guns and Javelins opened up once more, unleashing hell on the advancing
troops. From inside their Stryker vehicles, Marines operated the remote weapon stations,
their thermal sensors making it impossible for the enemy to hide in the dark.
An AC-130 gunship arrived in the sky overhead, opening up with its howitzer and cannons. Air
Force combat controllers began to direct the next wave of American strike aircraft,
which had been quickly refueled and rearmed, their weary pilots refusing to be replaced as long as US
troops were still under fire. Everything American that could fly in the region was put into the air,
the defenders still being massively outnumbered and overmatched in firepower. Every single flight
of strike aircraft and attack helicopter was like a flight of guardian angels,
delivering righteous fury in the form of precision high explosives and armor-piercing cannon fire.
An hour later, the ill-fated attack finally halted. Enemy troops began a hasty withdrawal,
in a show of good faith the US Air Force ceased atomizing the retreating troops.
Some were allowed to return to collect their dead. The 500-strong force had been shattered,
and the only casualty on the US side was an allied Syrian fighter who had been lightly wounded.
So what really happened and who was in charge- and
how was Russia responsible for this overwhelming US victory?
Even years after the incident, there remain significant gaps in the public knowledge over the
event. Russia denied all responsibility, claimed that no Wagner forces had been involved in,
or had knowledge of, the attack. This was in direct opposition to released US surveillance
footage which showed an air strike on a Wagner artillery position directly supporting the attack.
In the months to come, independent journalists inside Russia confirmed that an unusually high
number of dead Wagner troops arrived in Russia after the battle. These journalists
also confirmed a large number of Wagner mercenaries flown to Russian hospitals
in the days after the battle. However, officially the Russian government stated
that only four Russian volunteers had died in the attack- though later the Syrian and
Russian government would say that it's possible “dozens” were killed or injured.
German publication Der Spiegel would conduct an investigation and allege that no Russians
were involved in the fighting. Other sources inside Russia made incredible
claims of 200 Wagnerites being killed. A Russian investigative group, Conflict Intelligence Team,
would do its own investigation and estimate that as many as 30 Russians died in the fighting.
In 2023, the Gray Zone, a Telegram channel often associated with Wagner,
published a summary of the infamous battle. From interviews with Wagner soldiers present,
US forces first used Reaper drones to take out the lead and rear vehicles of the formation,
in a classic ambush. Then Apache helicopters came roaring into the confused mess, decimating
anyone attempting to retreat. A loitering AC-130 gunship pounded defensive positions into dust,
even as the men attempted to find cover in nearby buildings. F-16s hounded them from above, with one
Wagnerite allegedly claiming that in the morning, the area was littered with liquified gun barrels
and solidified sand, melted in the intense heat of the American attack and re-solidifying after.
The Gray Zone would publish account from Wagnerites who railed against the Russian
air force, which had jets stationed nearby but did not move to aid them. Allegedly,
some pilots asked for permission to respond, but were refused. With loitering F-22s and F-15s,
it was definitely the right call. The Gray Zone would also claim that Wagner casualties
were very high, but far less than the 600 or 200 that other outlets were reporting.
We'll probably never know how many Wagnerites or even Russian special forces were directly
involved in the fighting, but it's clear that the attack was led by Wagner and Yevgeny Prigozhin,
who wanted to seize the Conoco oil field at all costs. However, in a surprising twist- and
perhaps one that cemented in Prigozhin's mind the fact that he could no longer trust Putin's
government- it was the Russian military itself which ensured the attack would ultimately fail.
Russian air defenses were dense in the region, and posed a significant challenge
for US aircraft. In the years since, the world would learn that despite Russia
refusing to recall the attack, they had ordered their air defenses to stand down,
giving the green light to the US to use its air power freely. Why this is remains unknown.
Perhaps Russia wished to continue its guise of plausible deniability. Wagner is a Russian
PMC that works directly in the interest of the Russian government, but as a PMC,
it affords Russia the option to disown or disenfranchise itself from any of the group's
actions. Turning off the air defenses might have been Russia playing to this plausible deniability-
after all, keeping the air defenses on would have essentially married the Russian government to the
attack on the Conoco oil field. That would have come with significant consequences,
inevitably sparking a significant buildup of US forces in the region
and dramatically escalating the possibility of all-out conflict between the two sides.
It's also possible that Russia simply significantly underestimated US air
power. Air operations are difficult, a carefully choreographed dance of logistics,
platforms, and personnel. As the Ukraine war has proven, Russia itself
is incapable of coordinating significant air operations, let alone a massive and rapid,
extremely time sensitive response. The Russians might have assumed the US shared this weakness,
or that it simply couldn't coordinate so many different platforms so quickly.
The Russians bet wrong.
The US air operation in the Battle of Khasham is nothing short of a military
miracle. No matter which way you stack it, even with significant air support,
US forces should have been easily overrun. But the US absolutely annihilates its own budget
to field extremely terrifying capabilities you literally never want to be on the wrong end of.
Firstly, the US air fleet has the largest capability for close air support of any air
fleet in the world. While Russian aerospace forces struggle to deliver accurate ground support,
there's hardly any US air combat platform that is incapable of doing the job that Russian planes
simply aren't equipped for, and their pilots trained for. The ability for US warplanes from
F-15s to B-52s to deliver precision ground fires is unmatched by any other nation in the world,
and it's basically illegal for any US aircraft of any kind to take to the skies
without the ability to drop a bomb with high precision right where troops need it the most.
But US logistics and command and control is the secret hero of the show here, because
Russia likely did not expect such a massive and well-coordinated response of so many different
air platforms. The US threw literally everything including the kitchen sink into the sky that day,
knowing that its ground forces were hopelessly outmatched. But such massive air operations
require significant command and control expertise and resources, especially to deconflict targets
ensuring that one attack wave isn't simply hitting the exact same, already destroyed targets that he
last wave did. This is a significant problem for Russian aerospace forces in Ukraine.
Russia's problems don't just end there, because the nation is incapable of deconflicting its air
space as well. Hilariously, Russian air defenses in Ukraine are in an intense race with Ukrainian
air defenses for highest number of downed Russian aircraft. That's because Russia
lacks the expertise and systems to effectively manage large air operations alongside ground air
defenses. It's unlikely then that Russia could have foreseen the expert ballet of
command and control that saw US air power hammer attacking forces nearly nonstop for five hours.
The Battle of Khasham was, well, embarrassing for the Syrian government and for Wagner. But
it was also a warning to the rest of the world. If you pick a fight with the US,
you absolutely, positively, definitely cannot allow US air power to enter the picture.
Now go check out Wagner Group Is Becoming A Big Problem For Russia,
or click this other video instead!