(Newswire.net — October 22, 2019) — US troops in the Syrian province Manbij left their military base in such a hurry leaving tents and personal stuff all around the camp. But that’s not all they left behind.
Reporters followed a Russian military patrol on a visit to the abandoned US base which housed close to 300 U.S. troops and 15 vehicles patrolling the area. They aired unique footage showing what US troops left behind, including weird messages to the Russian soldiers which were expected to visit the site.
Correspondent for the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense’s official television channel “Zvezda” (The Star) led a tour of the base, which was built about three years ago and is located about 7 km from the city of Manbij itself.
“It looks like the US forces were able to evacuate only weapons, ammunition and vehicles, they did not even manage to set the base on fire. However, it seems that the Americans have a good idea of who will come to replace them,” the Russian journalist reported. “We found messages for Russians all over the base,” he explained.
The correspondent pointed to an impromptu drawing of an eagle with the phrase “America watches – always watches” written on his feathers. He also showed a book with a message on its cover: “Love, from the US Army.”
A correspondent for another media outlet, the News Front, posted a “message to the Russians” video showing a message board “LOVE US, heart, Russia @ realDONALDTRUMP” alluding to the Russian administration’s alleged meddling into Trump the 2016 presidential campaign.
The message on another board states that the American Nike brand is better than Adidas (the German clothing brand favored by the Russians) and that Whiskey is better than Vodka.
The facility housed US soldiers who coordinated the action of fighter jets from the front positions. When Ankara announced in early October that it was launching a military operation in Northern Syria, US troops vacated area to avoid any eventual confrontation.
With Turkish troops approaching Manbij, the Americans quickly left their bases, managing to pack up only weapons and equipment, leaving the base intact.