US special operations forces carried out a raid in northwest Syria late Wednesday against an ISIS leader, and civilians were reported killed in the operation.
Local sources told Syrian state media and The Associated Press that at least 13 people were killed in the raid, including six children and four women. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also cited sources who said 13 were killed, but they said four children and three women were killed.
The AP report said US special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in the Syrian town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border in the Idlib province. Witnesses said the US clashed with gunmen for two hours.
President Biden announced the operation on Thursday and said it killed Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who replaced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of ISIS after he was killed in a similar raid in 2019. Biden said the operation was “successful” and blamed the civilian casualties on al-Qurayshi.
“In a final act of desperate cowardice, with no regard to the lives of his family or others in the building, he chose to blow himself up … taking several members of his family with him — just as his predecessor did,” Biden said.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said al-Qurayshi blew himself up before engaging the US special operations forces. He said the US troops engaged in a gunfight with other individuals who approached the house after the US landed.
The operation comes amid intense scrutiny over the enormous number of civilian casualties during the US air war against ISIS in Iraq in Syria. As recent reporting from The New York Times shows, the Pentagon is notorious for not telling the full story about its operations and hiding civilian casualties.
The US was recently involved in major fighting between ISIS and the Kurdish-led SDF over in northeast Syria that was touched off by an ISIS attack on a prison. The fighting killed nearly 500 people.
“In a final act of desperate cowardice, with no regard to the lives of his family or others in the building, he chose to blow himself up … taking several members of his family with him — just as his predecessor did,” Biden said.
The teleprompter had two choices. He blew himself up or he used human shields. Because, you know, attacking a house and engaging in an hours long gunfire battle couldn’t have possibly killed anyone but terrorists.
Either Biden is intentionally lying or he has been lied to…!
Both. He was lied to, knows it, and continues with the lie.
Blowing yourself up does not require “human shields”. We knew there were kids there. You can bet the ranch on that.
Agreed. I have no idea what happened here. Initially, NBC reported mission was successful and no civilian casualties. However, someone reported children human parts around the building. Then there was a destroyed chopper for “maintenance issues.” Something else that was odd, this ISIS leader led the prison escape operation involving children against the sham “democratic forces” in the north east from the north west of Syria? Please let Syria and its government fight ISIS on their own land and bring our men and women home from harms way.
“However, someone reported children human parts around the building.”Ah, but the operation was a “success”
Is the first or second in command?
First or second what? Stooge?
Here’s how Bernhard at Moon of Alabama puts it:
And the raid in Kabul killing an Al Qaida terrorist bomber and 8 family members was “successful” until it was a “tragic mistake”.
Only difference was using “righteous” to describe those murders instead of “successful”. So, no real difference except the amount of “pink mist” produced.
Yes, that’s an important point. This Pentagon script writer here cranked up the standard pedestrian lies to a more exalted rhetorical level no doubt thinking to enhance his career prospects, …Pentagon spokesman! … the next Jen Psaki!
Who invited the USA into Syria, to steal the oil?
The Military and the Government now lie about everything whether they need to or not, because they are never challenged. Terrorists I’m guessing are now equipped with magically powerful suicide vests that can destroy a concrete building and even, as in the Kabul bombing, kill 200 people with a single pop. The press is a combination of cowed, stupid, and callous. Who cares about the murder of dark people? Haha, that was some firefight, the lower floor of the building is riddled with holes from armor piercing shells, 30mm or maybe Bofors? Chopper crashes from maintenance issues, it’s like on the Judge Judy show, what! you’re telling me you bought it without a test drive? Martha Radditz accidently reported the famous White Hats were on the scene, that info has disappeared, we wouldn’t run a false flag! Putin, oh hell yes, what is our idiot defense chief doing revealing that lack of intelligence? We are so stupid the U.S. is going to destroy the whole world in a fit of petty anger, just like Biden is happily starving the children of Afghanistan. He really is! For no reason that doesn’t involve our hurt feelings!