AMMAN: A Syrian army officer was killed in a US strike on a Syrian armyoutpost near a US base close to the Iraqi-Syrian border, a commander in theregional alliance supporting President Bashar al-Assad told Reuters.

The Pentagon, said, however, that a US-backed Syrian rebel group stationedin the Tanf garrison had engaged on Thursday evening an “unidentifiedhostile force” outside a “deconfliction zone” around the garrison, forcingit to retreat. It said there were no casualties on either side.

Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias who have gained control of the desertborder area since last year have on several occasions come under fire fromcoalition air power to stop any advances on the base.

Tanf is part of a region known as the Badia, which consists of vast,sparsely populated desert territory that stretches to the Jordanian andIraqi borders.

Separately, Syrian state media blamed US-led coalition aircraft for bombingthe town of Shafaa, north of Albu Kamal, saying the strikes killed at leasteight civilians.

Earlier this week, Syrian authorities said the coalition had bombed aSyrian army position near the Iraqi border between Albu Kamal and Tanf thatkilled scores of Shi’ite fighters. The US military denied it wasresponsible.