Numerous Facebook pages and accounts have allegedly quoted General Matthew McFarlane, the commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, threatening a “harsh response” to the targeting of fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.
According to the widely circulated alleged statement, “We will take a harsh response against those who target our partners in Deir ez-Zor.”
These allegations surfaced following the deaths of seven SDF special operations fighters in a drone strike on Syria’s largest US base, the Al-Omar oil field.
The True Platform team investigated the matter and searched Google, as well as verified the official accounts of the global coalition and the US Central Command (CENTCOM), leading to several conclusions:
The search revealed no evidence of any statements similar to the alleged ones made by General Matthew McFarlane, the commander of Operation Inherent Resolve.
None of the accounts or pages that circulated the alleged statement offered information on where or when General McFarlane made these statements.
Neither the official account of Operation Inherent Resolve nor the official account of CENTCOM published any postings or statements similar to the alleged ones.
Local media cited an unnamed State Department official on Monday, saying that the US government “would respond appropriately to attacks against US and coalition forces in both Syria and Iraq” and that the US and the SDF “remain ongoing and continuous.”
Conclusion:
The statement attributed to General McFarlane, commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, regarding a harsh response to the targeting of SDF forces in the Deir ez-Zor countryside, is misleading.