US Forces 'Not Really Involved' in Hasakah, Syria Airstrike Area

US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner stated that the United States was not necessarily involved in Hasakah, Syria, an area where US military personnel were reportedly endangered by Syrian government airstrikes last week.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States was not necessarily involved in Hasakah, Syria, an area where US military personnel were reportedly endangered by Syrian government airstrikes last week, US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner stated on Tuesday.

"Our forces have not really been involved in that area," Toner said of Syria's northeast Hasakah region.

Late last week, US aircraft scrambled above Hasakah in response to Syrian air strikes against US-allied Kurdish forces near the city.

The Department of Defense later implied that there were US "coalition personnel" on the ground, and it urged the Syrian government to avoid targeting areas where US personnel or US-backed forces are operating against Daesh.

Toner noted that the airstrikes in Hasakah were "in close proximity… to where some of our forces were operating."

However, he added that "is not to imply we had involvement in that area itself."

In response to the Hasakah incident, Defense Department spokesman Peter Cook said on Monday that the United States was prepared to communicate directly with the Syrian government to avoid unintended occurrences.