The battle in Syria that looms behind Wagner’s rebellion

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The single bloodiest clash between U.S. and Russian forces since the Cold War took place in early February 2018. In the depths of the Syrian night, near the dusty banks of the Euphrates River, a small force of U.S. Marines and Green Berets found themselves besieged by a larger contingent of pro-Syrian regime forces, including a significant detachment of Russian mercenaries. The battle centered around a U.S. outpost by the Conoco gas plant near Deir al-Zour in northeastern Syria.