US raid on Islamic State operative in Syria
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In the early hours of Wednesday, U.S. military forces launched a daring raid in northwestern Syria, neutralizing a prominent Islamic State operative, a U.S. official confirmed to Reuters. The operation, carried out in the town of Atmeh in Idlib province, was the second U.S. military action in northern Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December.
The target, identified by the U.S. official as a high-ranking Islamic State member and a potential leader of the group’s Syrian branch, was k*lled during the mission.
Sources noted that the raid began around 2 a.m. 1100 GMT), with U.S. troops supported by helicopters and drones providing aerial cover.
Local Syrian forces secured the area, allowing American personnel to execute the strike, according to Syrian security source.
Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya and a Syrian security source reported that the target, an Iraqi national married to a French woman, died while attempting to escape.
The fate of his wife remains unknown. The U.S. official assured that no American troops were injured in the operation.
A local resident, Abdelqader al-Sheikh, described the tense atmosphere during the raid. Up late with his son, he heard a commotion in the adjacent yard.
“I called out, ‘Who are you?’ and they started speaking to me in English, telling me to put my hands up,” Sheikh said to Reuters.
He observed armed forces positioned on nearby rooftops for two hours and overheard Arabic spoken with an Iraqi accent.
The raid aligns with the ongoing mission of the U.S.-led coalition and Syria’s new Islamist-led government, which has vowed to prevent the Islamic State from regaining strength.
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The Islamic state is still under attack by US forces in the region. The operation supports US allies in the area. Us forces are very adept at launching late-night attacks on the enemy. I recall such operations when I was a Marine stationed in the Middle East.
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