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The Pentagon announced Wednesday that US special operations personnel conducted a “successful” counterterrorism mission in northwest Syria, but released few further specifics.
“US Special Operations soldiers, led by US Central Command, commenced a counterterrorism campaign in northwest Syria this evening. The task was successfully executed. In the United States, there were no victims. ” John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, made a statement. “More information will be released when it becomes available.”
There were no specifics offered on who the counterterrorism effort was intended at or whether it comprised ground soldiers and helicopters, as alleged in a flurry of social media claims emanating from Syria on Wednesday night.
Those social media posts speculated on impending US military involvement in Idlib province, a location in far western Syria near the Turkish border. Some tweets featured footage that appeared to depict night scenes with gunshots and low-flying helicopters near the villages of Atimah and Dar Ballout. The Pentagon’s statement made no mention of social media claims claiming civilian fatalities as a result of the operation.
The US military originally declined to comment on the claims.
The estimated 1,000 US military personnel in Syria help the fight against ISIS in eastern Syria.
American forces do not operate in government-controlled parts of northern Syria, particularly in Idlib province, which has long been a refuge for extremists. They have, however, engaged in counterterrorism activities in Idlib on a periodic basis, using drone attacks to target various Islamic extremist organizations.
On October 27, 2019, the highest-profile mission was a ground attack that killed ISIS’ top commander, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who was hiding out in a house near the Turkish border.
