US troops killed dozens of Russian mercenaries in Syria in the deadliest clash between the former Cold War foes in decades, according to sources in three different countries. A US official said that 100 fighters loyal to President Assad of Syria, many thought to be Russian, died in a failed attempt to storm a base manned by US special forces and US-backed Arab and Kurdish troops in the Deir ez-Zor region, east the Euphrates River. The attack took place in the early hours of Thursday when 300-500 pro-Assad troops advanced with tanks and artillery on the Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) base. US ground commanders called in F-15 jets, MQ-9 Reaper drones, B-52 bombers, an AC-130 gunship and Apache helicopters. A gun battle lasted about three…

Source: The Times February 14, 2018 00:02 UTC