SOHR: ‘First known’ US raid in government-held area of Syria kills one
Syrian state television said that United States special forces had carried out a rare operation in a government-held village in the country’s northeast, killing one person and capturing others.
The operation took place on Thursday in an area of Hassakeh province, which is partly held by government forces and partly held by US-backed Kurdish fighters.
“US occupation forces carried out a landing operation using several helicopters in the village of Muluk Saray in the southern countryside of Qamishli and killed one person,” Syria’s state broadcaster said, without elaborating.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Colonel Joseph Buccino confirmed to Reuters that US forces were involved in a dawn raid that targeted an ISIL (ISIS) operative, but provided no further details.
The US has carried out previous raids in Syria to target members of ISIL, but Thursday’s operation would be the first known raid in a government-held area.
The village targeted by the operation lies 17 kilometres (10 miles) south of the city of Qamishli and is controlled by Syrian regime forces, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“It is the first time,” that US forces conduct such an operation in regime-held areas, the Observatory said, without identifying the victim.
Several other people were captured, the monitor said, without providing a figure.
One village resident said that three US helicopters carrying troops landed in the village after midnight and told residents by loudspeaker to stay indoors and keep their lights off.
The resident said the operation lasted several hours and that there was no exchange of fire with the US troops.
Remnants of ISIL
Washington is part of a US-led coalition battling ISIL in Syria.
In July, the Pentagon said it killed Syria’s top ISIL commander in a drone attack in the northern part of the country.
CENTCOM said he had been “one of the top five” leaders of ISIL overall.
The July raid came five months after a nighttime US raid in the town of Atme, which led to the death of the overall ISIL leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi.
US officials said al-Qurashi died when he detonated a bomb to avoid capture.
After losing their last territory following a military onslaught backed by the US-led coalition in March 2019, the remnants of ISIL in Syria mostly retreated into desert hideouts.
They have since used such hideouts to ambush Kurdish-led forces and Syrian government troops while continuing to mount attacks in Iraq.
US forces in Syria have come under attack in recent months from what the US government has called Iran-backed militia groups.
Most recently, at least four rockets were launched towards the military’s Green Village base in northeast Syria on September 19.
CENTCOM said the attack failed to hit US or coalition forces and equipment.
Source: The Print