--- title: Mike Pompeo Confirms Hundreds of Russians Killed in Syria description: Mike Pompeo confirmed Thursday that "a couple hundred Russians were killed" by U.S. forces in Syria earlier this year. canonical: https://time.com/5237922/mike-pompeo-russia-confirmation/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-12T17:00:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:05:59.849Z article:section: Politics og:title: Pompeo Confirms Hundreds of Russians Killed In U.S. Attack in Syria og:description: A U.S. official previously said that no Russian forces were killed. og:url: https://time.com/5237922/mike-pompeo-russia-confirmation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt273e45526987963c/69892d7efb4eac0152896533/mike-pompeo-russia-syria.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: mike pompeo russia syria og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pompeo Confirms Hundreds of Russians Killed In U.S. Attack in Syria twitter:description: A U.S. official previously said that no Russian forces were killed. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt273e45526987963c/69892d7efb4eac0152896533/mike-pompeo-russia-syria.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump's Pick for Secretary of State Just Confirmed 'Hundreds' of Russians Were Killed in a U.S. Attack in Syria > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=4e041786-1887-4a54-bc74-2771e823dc38&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Pompeo Confirms Hundreds of Russians Killed In U.S. Attack in Syria [Watch (HLS stream): Pompeo Confirms Hundreds of Russians Killed In U.S. Attack in Syria](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/roJovAei.m3u8) (0:25)  _Published 2018-04-12. President Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of State confirmed Thursday that “a couple hundred Russians were killed” by U.S. forces in Syria earlier this year._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Apr 12, 2018 5:00 PM UTC  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Apr 12, 2018 5:00 PM UTC President Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of State confirmed Thursday that “a couple hundred Russians were killed” by U.S. forces in Syria earlier this year. Mike Pompeo, who currently serves as CIA director, offered the confirmation in response to questions about the U.S. relationship with Russia. The February attack by U.S. special forces — acknowledged at the time by Russian and Syrian officials but until now unconfirmed by the U.S. — targeted pro-government Syrian forces who were working alongside Russian mercenaries. “In Syria, now, a handful of weeks ago the Russian met their match,” Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “A couple hundred Russians were killed.” A U.S. official [previously](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-13/u-s-strikes-said-to-kill-scores-of-russian-fighters-in-syria) said that the U.S. had communicated with Russia prior to the attack and no Russian government forces were killed. ## Transcript This administration announced a nuclear positive review that has put Russia on notice that we're gonna recapitalize our deterrent force. In Syria now, a handful of weeks ago, the Russians met their match Couple hundred Russians were killed. The list of actions that this administration has taken, I'm happy to walk through each of them, but I don't want to take up much more time. And I appreciate that. The list is pretty long, ma'am. And I certainly agree with that. 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