The White House has announced that U.S.-led forces carried out a “successful” counterterrorism operation in Syria early on Thursday.
The target of their raid: ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
Al-Qurashi led the terror group since October 2019. His predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, blew himself and his children up while under attack by U.S. special forces.
Indeed, the raid closely resembled the one launched by President Trump two years ago. Commandos swarmed al-Qurashi's compound under cover of darkness.
After attempts to get everyone inside to surrender themselves failed, “a major battle” erupted.
Like al-Baghdadi, al-Qurashi exploded a bomb as U.S. forces closed in, killing himself and members of his family.
The New York Times has more on the scene from the ground:
During the operation, one of the American helicopters suffered a mechanical problem, was forced to land and was later destroyed by American attack aircraft. After about three hours, the American commandos and their remaining helicopters flew off, witnesses said.
Video from the scene on social media showed people pulling the bodies of at least nine men, women and children from the rubble of the badly damaged house.
According to U.S. officials, damage to the house was a result of al-Qurashi's suicide.
The Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, pulled bodies and survivors from the rubble after the airstrikes and wrote on Twitter that at least 13 people had been killed during the operation, including four women and six children. The group did not provide further details on the identities of those killed.
The raid targeted a stand-alone, three-story cinder block building surrounded by olive trees. Images shared on social media by activists who visited the site showed simple rooms with mats on the floors, a diesel heater and clothes and blankets scattered about, some of them covered with blood.
One wonders if this is part of the defense/security focus of the administration – tried and true strategy in the lead up to the mid-terms: let’s amp up the war footing. Americans don’t like to switch leadership in the middle of a fight…Call me cynical, but it seems like it…
Biden, Pelosi, Schumer and other top Democrats use voter suppression to change the subject and try to steer peoples attention away on subjects they are afraid to face. Challenge them to produce one registered legal American Citizen to testify under oath with penalty of perjury that they were not able to vote in person or with an absentee ballot due to voter suppression !
Oh the horror of it all. Men, women and children dead. How will Joe Biden live with himself now? Actually great job by our special forces. Joe is just along for the ride.
Pelosi, AOC, Biden & the Dems are in Mourning!