UK special forces 'operating on frontline' against Isis in Syria

British troops crossed from Jordan to help the New Syrian Army rebuild their defences

A British Royal Marine of 45 Commando waits in a defensive position for extraction during an operation as part of the ongoing Operation Buzzard July 8, 2002, in southeastern Afghanistan (Scott Nelson/Getty Images)

British special forces are reportedly operating on the front line against Isis in Syria.

The Times reports they have been defending a rebel unit under daily attack by Isis.

First Lieutenant Mahmoud al-Saleh told the paper British troops crossed from Jordan to help the New Syrian Army (NSA) rebuild their defences in al-Tanf after a suicide attack damaged their base.

“They helped us with logistics, like building defences to make the bunkers safe,” he said.

The NSA consists of former Syrian special forces who defected from the Syrian army and have been retrained by British and American forces.

They libereated the southeatern village of al-Tanf in March. The village is considered strategically important because of its location near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

The NSA base was reportedly attackd by an Isis armoured vehicle packed with explosives last month, killing 11 of the rebels and injuring 17.

The attack damaged the structure of the al-Tanf base, prompting British special forces to help them rebuild.

The rebels now face regular missile and suicide attacks from Isis.

“They [Isis] attack us at all times, 3am, 5am, 4pm, 11pm," First Lieutenant al-Saleh told The Times.

"If you look at the timing of the assaults it’s clear they don’t want us to get any rest. They’re using missiles, mortars and many suicide bombers."