The Pentagon revealed in a statement that the U.S special forces conducted a “successful” counterterrorism operation in Syria in order to hunt down an al-Qaeda leader.
The Pentagon announced it to be a successful operation amidst the echoes of civilian casualties in northwest Syria.
John Kirby, the Press Secretary of the Pentagon stated that “the mission was a success with no U.S casualties.” No further details were officially announced by the pentagon.
“U.S. Special Operations forces under the control of U.S. Central Command conducted a counterterrorism mission this evening in northwest Syria. The mission was successful. There were no U.S. casualties. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
According to reports of different international media, the counterterrorism mission had been targeted for a specific Al Qaeda leader which may have resulted in death and casualties of civilians including children.
According to the details, the operation was conducted in Atmeh, a town in Idlib province that is largely controlled by the rebels.
A lot of videos surfaced on different social media platforms which showcased videos of gunfire being projected by American helicopters. The videos show blaring warnings in Arabic for children and women barricaded inside the house to evacuate before the actual battle started which was largely engulfed by rockets, grenades, and much other fire ammunition hurling from both sides.
The witnesses determined that during the operation, one of the American helicopters suffered from a technical problem and was grounded but was later destroyed by American aircraft. After the operation was completed, the remaining helicopters flew off from the premises, taking away all the American commandos with them.
The scope and duration of the counterterrorism operation indicate that it was a targeted raid, most probably it was directed towards a senior al-Qaeda leader. The commandos action directed towards a house instead of airstrikes by the American army also suggests that the main focus of the mission was a senior leader instead of causing casualties.
The Syrian Observatory for human rights has stated that as many as thirteen people have died in the operation which included children and women. It is expected that President Joe Biden will reach out to the public with more details about the counterterrorism operation conducted in Syria on Thursday.
