An overnight raid by US special operations forces in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province has led to the deaths of at least 13 people, including six children, according to residents and first responders. A resident who lives near the targeted building said US forces surrounded the building and used loudspeakers to tell residents to leave the area. US President Joe Biden said the raid targeted the leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. President Biden said in a statement: “Thanks to the skill and bravery of our armed forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi – the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation”.

Idlib province, located in north-western Syria, is the last rebel-held stronghold in the country, and is mostly controlled by former al-Qaeda affiliate Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham. For years, the US military has been using drones to target top al-Qaeda operatives in northern Syria. The latest raid was the largest in the region since a 2019 attack that targeted and killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The US has faced pressure to reform its policies after a Kabul drone strike in August killed ten members of a family, including seven children. The Pentagon publicly released the drone footage following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the New York Times. A New York Times investigation last December concluded, based on Pentagon documents, that US air wars in the Middle East have been marked by “deeply flawed intelligence” and “faulty targeting” that have led to the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians over the last decade.

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/3/civilians-killed-us-special-operations-raid-syria

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/20/pentagon-releases-footage-of-deadly-kabul-drone-strike

Author: Irina Kovacevic; Editor: Catherine Meunier