U.S. military convoy crosses border into northeastern Syria

ERBIL, Iraq — A convoy of U.S. military vehicles has crossed the border from Iraq and made its way across northeastern Syria in an effort to prevent oil fields from falling into the hands of ISIS, NBC News has confirmed.

The U.S. has begun reinforcing its positions in the Deir ez-Zor region in coordination with its partners in the Kurdish-led Syrian Defense Forces and with additional military assets to prevent oil fields from coming under the control of ISIS or other destabilizing actors, according to a U.S. defense official.

"We will not discuss details or timelines of those forces for security reasons," the official said

Two sources inside Syria have independently confirmed that they witnessed a U.S. military convoy traveling toward Deir ez-Zour.

The convoy was composed primarily of lightly armored vehicles, commonly used by U.S. special operations forces operating in Syria. Several of the vehicles were flying large American flags, and were accompanied overhead by attack helicopters, eyewitnesses said.

• Add to Google

Turkish-backed militias step up attacks on Kurds as U.S. forces ordered to protect Syrian oil

01:38

One source in the border town of Qamishli said that a convoy of military vehicles with U.S. flags had passed through town, and exited southward toward Al Hasakah.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

A separate source in Hasakah said a convoy of U.S. military vehicles had entered that city from the north, and had exited that city on the south side, heading toward Deir ez-Zour.

The development comes two days after a senior defense official told NBC News that President Donald Trump was briefed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the importance of securing the oil fields so they can't be seized and used to fund ISIS' terrorist activities.

The senior defense official said Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, was working with a number of options, among them sending tanks to the region, deploying forces pulled from an armored brigade. An additional consideration was the possible use of air assets to support ground forces.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Trump signaled the possible action in an address from the White House on Wednesday when he said, "We're going to be protecting" Syrian oil fields.

Kube is reporting from Erbil, Iraq. Bishop is reporting from Mardin, Turkey.