Biden: US Raid in Syria Killed Top Islamic State Leader
SnopesDec 27, 2021
Up to 13 Syrian Civilians Killed in US Raid on ISIS Leader
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Image copyright: The Independent [via Reuters]
The Facts
Up to 13 civilians, including 6 children and 4 women, were reportedly killed in a Feb. 3 night raid targetting ISIS leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
At around 1am local time, US Apache helicopters and surveillance drones descended on the Syrian town of Atme to a compound where al-Qurayshi and his family lived.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Biden conducted a successful counter-terrorism operation -- following months of sercret planning -- in the midst of Ukraine-Russia tensions, threats from China and Iran, and a global pandemic. This was win for the president and for peace.
Establishment-critical narrative
This raid was an illegal violation of Syria's sovereignty. Though Damascus and Washington agree that ISIS is a terrorist organization, the US had no right to violate Syria's airspace in order to continue its policy of extrajudicial killings under the guise of counter-terrorism.
Cynical narrative
The Pentagon's description of this as "successful" is misleading, given both the number of women and children killed, and past US actions that have benefitted Islamic extremists in Syria.
