US drone strikes truck in Syria used by Iran-backed militia

BAGHDAD — A US drone attack targeted a truck of an Iran-backed militia in eastern Syria today, destroying the vehicle without causing any casualties, two Iraqi militia officials say.

The attack comes amid increasing tensions in the region between the US military and Iran-backed Iraqi militias in recent weeks. The Americans have targeted militants who used drones and rockets to hit bases housing US troops.

The Iraqi militia officials refuse to say what the truck was carrying. They say the US drone first fired a warning shot, after which the driver jumped out, and a missile hit the vehicle shortly afterward. They say the truck belonged to Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, which is active along the Iraq-Syria border.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

There is no immediate comment from the US military.

Syrian state TV also reports the attack, saying it was carried out by American drones. It says the truck was carrying food and there were no human losses.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, says the truck was carrying weapons and ammunition for an Iraqi militia, and was hit shortly after crossing the border from Iraq. It claims that the driver was killed.