[pjw] NEWS/ANALYSIS: Sis Children Reportedly Killed During US Raid in Syria (Common Dreams 2/3)

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hi
I saw an article the other day asserting that Biden's push for war with 
Russia isn't a scenario like in the movie "wag the dog" because ultimately 
presidents lose favor for entering wars. This ignores the short term 
effect of people rallying around the flag/the troops when wars happen.

The point of "wagging the dog" is to distract people from problems going 
on elsewhere, such as low poll ratings and an economy in crisis.

Thus, I would firmly put Biden's efforts to assassinate the most recent 
leader of the Islamic state in Syria in that category. There was no 
imminent threat, no international call for this and, as we've been saying 
since the US started attacking Syria in 2014, no support from the Syrian 
government for US military actions on their territory. Imagine if say 
France decided to take out an armed white supremacist militia group in the 
US with a special forces raid or drone attack. Sure there may be some 
people who'd be ok with it because of the nature of the victims' politics, 
but that doesn't make it right.

Oh and I used the words "efforts" because reports are saying that Abu 
Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi killed himself during the raid.

So, I searched on the words "Phyllis Bennis Syria attack" because I knew 
Ms. Bennis would have a good analysis on what happened, which included the 
deaths of several children. The Common Dreams article below does not 
disappoint.

I would add that I heard Biden talk about Al-Qurayshi as "being no more." 
A very roundabout way of saying he was dead. Biden went on to claim the 
man had surrounded himself with women and children, as if that were a 
crime. Our president and first lady sleep in the same home. Biden thinks 
his son Beau's death was related to the toxic burn pits he was exposed to 
in Iraq. Why celebrate the death of another human being?

Things to think about.
dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group


  https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/03/6-children-reportedly-killed-during-us-raid-syria
6 Children Reportedly Killed During US Raid in Syria
    President Joe Biden said the U.S. Special Forces operation killed ISIS
    leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
    [15]Jake Johnson
    February 3, 2022

    United States Special Forces carried out a major raid in northwest
    Syria in the early hours of Thursday morning that [16]reportedly
    resulted in the killing of more than a dozen people--including six
    children and four women.

    In a [17]statement hours after the operation, U.S. President Joe Biden
    said that "thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have
    taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi--the
    leader of ISIS."

    "All Americans have returned safely from the operation. I will deliver
    remarks to the American people later this morning. May God protect our
    troops," added the president, who did not mention the reports of
    civilian deaths.

    Addressing the nation, Biden claimed that the ISIS leader detonated a
    suicide bomb, killing himself and "taking several members of his family
    with him."

    In a brief [18]statement earlier in the morning, Pentagon Press
    Secretary John Kirby had confirmed that U.S. forces "conducted a
    counterterrorism mission" inside Syria but did not specify the target
    of the raid.

    Kirby, who called the operation "successful," also made no mention of
    the reported civilian deaths, saying only that "there were no U.S.
    casualties." The Pentagon is [19]notorious for underreporting or
    covering up civilian casualties in U.S.-led military actions.

    Phyllis Bennis, director of the New Internationalism Project at the
    Institute for Policy Studies, told Common Dreams in an email that the
    notion that "the killing of 13 civilians in a supposedly counter-terror
    operation--including six children and four women--is somehow a
    'success' flies in the face of the Biden administration's recent claim
    that it is making protection of civilians a new high priority in its
    military strategy."

    "The so-called 'global war on terror' has, from its origins, been
    characterized by attacks by U.S. Special Forces, by airstrikes, by
    armed drones, and more, that routinely kill far more civilians than the
    targets identified on the 'kill lists' prepared by presidents and top
    White House officials," she continued. "The routine recitation of
    'there is no military solution to terrorism' has always been an anodyne
    rhetorical ploy, never an actual guide to what actions might actually
    work to change the conditions that give rise to terrorism."

    Bennis went on to note that the "death of founder and former ISIS
    leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a 2019 U.S. helicopter raid (which
    also led to civilian deaths) was quickly followed by the appointment of
    a new leader."

    "The killing of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi will likely see the
    same result," she warned, "along with the likelihood of new recruits
    for ISIS emerging from the families of those other civilians killed and
    injured in the attack."

    Local residents, first responders, and journalists who witnessed the
    U.S. operation Thursday said it included helicopters and F-16
    warplanes, which bombed and shelled the area in northwest Syria ahead
    of the airdrop raid.

    Graphic photos and witness accounts from the scene indicated
    significant carnage, with blood covering the floors and walls of a
    building that appeared to be a main target of the operation. Images
    also showed U.S.-made explosive devices scattered near the scene,
    including [20]one from the Colorado-based Ensign-Bickford Aerospace &
    Defense Company.

    The Associated Press [21]reported that the targeted building "contained
    a wrecked bedroom with a child's wooden crib on the floor."

    "On one damaged wall, a blue plastic swing for children was still
    hanging," the outlet observed. "The kitchen was blackened with fire
    damage."

16. https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-syria-terrorism-john-kirby-counterterrorism-ca598136de014e008f746a35f6f721b0
   17. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/03/statement-by-president-joe-biden-3/
   18. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2921368/dod-statement-on-feb-2-2022-counterterrorism-operation-in-northwest-syria/
   19. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/12/07/us-military-cant-be-trusted-investigate-civilian-casualties
   20. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-after-an-f-16-fighter-jet-and-a-helicopter-hit-a-house-news-photo/1238152657?adppopup=true
   21. https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-syria-terrorism-john-kirby-counterterrorism-ca598136de014e008f746a35f6f721b0