The U.S. Flies Armed Drones Over Syria as a Campaign to Hunt Terrorists
The Joint Special Operations Command of the U.S., along with the CIA, has launched a secret campaign as part of their targeted killing program. It involves flying armed drones over Syria to hunt down suspected terrorists.
One of the casualties of the strike is a British militant suspected of leading the group's use of social media to encourage attacks on the U.S.
According to The Washington Post in an article published on Aug.3, an agreement between the U.S. and Turkey in July has been made to fight against the Islamic State, the terrorist group that controls Iraq and Syria. The two countries have also marked a de facto safe zone in the northern part of Syria to give Turkey a buffer from the former's civil war as well as to provide shelter for Syrians caught in the middle of the conflict.
The NZ Herald noted on Thursday that the secret campaign marks the rise of CIA's participation in the war against Syria and Isis (Islamic State), which includes their strong Counterterrorism Centre. Although the centre has been granted an expanded role in recognizing and locating Isis heads, officials of the U.S. clarify that the strikes are executed by the special operations command exclusively.
They add that the secret program focuses on "high value targets."
"These people are being identified and targeted through a separate effort," explains a senior US official regarding the British militant, Junaid Hussain, and the rest who were killed in the past weeks.
The increasing anxiety of the U.S. counterterrorism officials on the security threats brought about by the Isis are evidenced by the move to enlist the special operations command and the CIA.
Syria is the first target of the secret campaigns with armed drones. Other countries included in the list are Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan and some parts of North Africa. It's primary targets are the leaders of Isis, organizations suspected of building terrorism networks beyond the borders, and the Al-Qaeda militants.