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Two British special forces soldiers have been seriously injured in a missile attack by Isil fighters in Syria. The two soldiers were injured in a missile attack by ISIS fighters near Deir Ezzor, in the east of the country, British special forces have been operating in the area alongside US special forces to combat the militant group. The Telegraph understands the incident occurred on Friday morning, and that the soldiers were airlifted from the scene by US forces for medical treatment. Rudaw news, a Kurdish outlet, reported that the soldiers were at a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) base in the area when the attack took place. It was also reported that an SDF fighter was killed in the missile attack. An SDF official, said: "Due to a smart missile attack by ISIS, a fighter of the YPG was killed and another wounded, in addition to two British soldiers." A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We do not comment on special forces operations". The attack comes a year after the death of an SAS solider in Syria. Sergeant Matt Tonroe was killed while embedded with US forces in Syria when they were caught by an explosion in March 2018. US president Donald Trump said in December that he was withdrawing US troops from Syria, where he claimed Isis had been defeated. Mr Trump said: "We have defeated Isis in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency." The move shocked US allies and American defence officials alike, with US defence secretary Jim Mattis and a top US official in the fight against IS, Brett McGurk, resigning soon after. Analysts and military experts, who disagree with Mr Trump, have said the threat posed by Isis still remains.
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