Powerful US Special Forces operation in Idlib: an American helicopter was destroyed, women and children were killed

Anti-terrorist activities against the remnants of the sleeping cells of the Islamic State are regularly carried out in the northeast of Syria, which is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The US coalition conducted a raid in the north of Idlib province near the city of Atmeh, which was attended by special operations forces, Apache attack helicopters and MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and strike drones. The counter-terrorist operation lasted 2 hours, and the Pentagon reported on its success.

The helicopters circled the building for more than two hours before attacking it, according to local activists and residents quoted by news outlets. Then US Special Forces parachuted in and launched an assault. A volunteer group operating in non-government-controlled areas of Syria, also known as the White Helmets, reported the deaths of 13 people, including six children and four women. According to The New York Times, during the raid, the United States lost one of its military transport helicopters. It failed and then the Americans themselves blew it up.

The Pentagon operation that killed ten civilians comes just two weeks after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a directive directing military leaders to focus their efforts on protecting civilians from harm caused by drone attacks and hostilities.

The New York Times estimates that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in U.S. operations in the Middle East over the past decade as a result of “profoundly flawed intelligence” and “mistargeting.”