US soldier faces criminal charges over firefight with Syrian regime
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson is accused of recklessly endangering his own men by allegedly bringing them into close contact with Syrian pro-regime forces.
A US Army soldier previously under consideration for military honors for his actions during a lethal skirmish with a Syrian pro-regime militia last year is now facing criminal charges over the incident.
The US military's allegations against Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson of the 82nd Airborne Division include two counts of failure to obey a lawful order, two counts of reckless endangerment, one count of communicating threats and three counts of obstructing justice. The case was first reported by Army Times.
Nicoson was the lead noncommissioned officer in a convoy of some 16 soldiers passing through a checkpoint controlled by the pro-regime National Defense Forces militia near Tal al-Zahab in August.
The convoy passed through the checkpoint with permission from the Syrian militia members before coming “under small arms fire from individuals in the vicinity of the checkpoint,” a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement shortly following the incident last year.
