Two F-15E fighters destroyed the arsenal at the Lafarge factory, where American soldiers had once been headquarters but left when hurriedly withdrew from Syria.

"After all the soldiers and their essential equipment left, the two F-15E fighters performed an accurate attack on the Lafarge cement plant to destroy the arsenal and bullets, preventing them from falling in. hands of armed groups, "Colonel Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS), said in a statement released on October 16.

The Lafarge plant is home to the anti-IS coalition headquarters in Syria, located between the towns of Kobani and Ain Issa, two hot spots in Turkey's military campaign to repel the Kurds and create a 30-km buffer zone in northern Syria.

Pentagon officials said no forces were operating near the factory when the strike occurred. "If there are any armed groups nearby, the bombing could be canceled to avoid being considered an attack on forces on the battlefield," the official added.

This is the first time the U.S. has to destroy weapons in the process of a swift withdrawal from northern Syria under President Donald Trump's orders.

US special forces began to withdraw from the outposts on the Syrian border on October 14, ceding control of strategic areas to Syrian and Russian government troops. The senior US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the country would withdraw most of its troops in Syria in the next few weeks, leaving only a small garrison at Al Tanf base near the Jordan border.

The control zone of the Turkish army (red) and Kurdish militia (green) in northern Syria on October 16. Graphics: BBC.