US says it carried out strike against ‘imminent threat’ in Syria
Al JazeeraDec 02
The Facts
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday that its forces had launched a helicopter raid in northwest Syria which resulted in the "probable death" of a senior Islamic State (IS) leader as well as two "armed individuals."
CENTOM said that the unnamed IS leader had been "responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe." It also reported no casualties among civilians or US military personnel.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
It's always good news when an IS leader is killed, as it mitigates the group's ability to conduct terror attacks outside of its areas of influence. The US will continue to counter IS and the threat it poses to the world at large.
Establishment-critical narrative
This operation was an illegal violation of Syria's sovereignty. Though Damascus and Washington agree that IS 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.
