Inside The Remote U.S. Base At al-Tanf, Syria

Firing range practice at al-Tanf base along the border with Jordan and Iraq. NBC News

NBC: Inside the remote U.S. base in Syria central to combating ISIS and countering Iran

Al Tanf, visited by journalists for the first time Monday, has no paved roads and many of its buildings are pocked with bullet holes.

The roads are unpaved. Many of the buildings still standing are riddled with bullet holes. But this secretive U.S. base, located near Syria's eastern border with Jordan and visited by journalists for the first time Monday, is now seen as a crucial bulwark against Iran.

The Al Tanf garrison was established to help local forces eliminate the Islamic State terror group. But with the Islamic State in decline and on the run, the base is now playing a critical role in the American effort to diminish Iran's influence in the region.

NBC News joined Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East, on a trip to Al Tanf where he acknowledged the base's strategic importance in countering the sway of Iran.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. is not hiding the purpose for this base .... General Admits US Presence in Syria's al-Tanf is Aimed Against Iran - Reports (Sputnik).