#EXCLUSIVE Our source on the ground in Atmeh, #Syria managed to enter the house which was raided by US special forces last night. Blood on the floor, chaos inside, damage clearly visible. Have a look at this @akhbar video 👇👇
Based on info from our sources on the ground in Syria, I prepared this @akhbar map showing exact house which was raided by U.S. forces last night in Atmeh near the Turkish border. It is very close to a HTS checkpoint. Lots of rumors of who was targeted but nothing confirmed yet:
Our source in Atmeh sent us this 2nd, longer video of the house raided last night by U.S. forces. As u can see, it's a two storey building, major damage inside, not clear yet who Americans were looking for. Only 1 house targeted so very specific operation.
Acc to eye witnesses, an Iraqi speaker who was with the Americans shouted through a loudspeaker during Atmeh raid: "You have 15 minutes to surrender & get out of the house." However occupants refused &a gun battle erupted. Here some pics of damage to outer wall & ammo. @akhbar
According to the @SyriaCivilDef, at least 13 people, including 6 children & 4 women, were killed in bombings and clashes that followed an airborne operation by American forces just after midnight on a house in #Atmeh town on the Syrian-Turkish border. @akhbar
This vehicle is parked infront of the house that was targeted by U.S. special forces in Atmeh, Syria.
Eyewitnesses tell @akhbar that the car belongs to the residents of the targeted house.
Here exclusive pictures by my source on the ground in Syria of an American helicopter which crashed last night during the special operation that killed the leader of ISIS.
Just to clarify: The damage done to the U.S. helicopter, as seen on the pictures, is not due to landing/crash or enemy fire. The Americans destroyed the helicopter themselves after an unknown failure forced it to land.
Last thing I want to share with you is the exact location of the wreckage of the U.S. helicopter in Syria. Again the helicopter was destroyed by the U.S. special forces themselves. Link: Dropped pin maps.app.goo.gl/24cRRz6FNVZjaU…
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1/ Hundreds protested in Damascus today for a secular state. One of the reasons for the protest was an interview an HTS official gave to a TV on women's rights. Below I’ll translate the interview. It gives clues about the ideas of the new leaders of Syria
2/ AlJadeed is a Lebanese tv channel. The official they interviewed is Obaida Arnaout. He is the spokesman for the HTS led interim government. Main topic of the interview is how the new interim government/HTS views the role of women in the new Syria.
3/ The first question they asked Arnaout was: What do you think about representation of women in ministries and in parliament?
Answer: "The matter is premature, it is left to the specialists from the legal and constitutional [fields], they will work on reviewing the structure of the state, the woman is an important element, and she is honored."
1/ As HTS (supported by Turkey) rapidly advances from the north towards Damascus, more moderate rebel groups (supported by Jordan, US) are already approaching Damascus suburbs from the south. The question is: Are both groups allies or rivals?
2/ HTS is still around Homs, 160 kms from Damascus. In the meantime, rebel groups from the south are already much closer to the capital. They are NOT HTS. They are a mix of rebels from Daraa, Suwayda & Tanf (where 200 US ground troops are stationed).
3/ The rebel coalition in the south has published a statement yesterday saying they are heading to Damascus and are against terrorism and sectarianism. This of course is clearly meant to distance themselves from HTS, which has Al-Qaeda roots and is still on the US terror list.
1/ Developments in Syria going so fast that reports become obsolete moments later.
I've reported from inside Syria since 2011 and I live in the MidEast. So, let me explain in this thread what the implications could be for Syria and wider region in case the Syrian regime falls:
2/ First, let me explain which units are participating in this offensive on the side of anti-Assad forces. Most belong to HTS. which split from Al-Qaeda in 2016. However, since 2018 HTS is designated a foreign terrorist group by the US State Department.
3/ HTS is active around Aleppo and Hama. The commander of HTS is Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. Earlier he headed Nusra Front (Al Qaeda in Syria). After HTS split from AlQaeda, he claims to have distanced himself from AQ. There is still a $10 million bounty on his head by the U.S.
1/ ISIS acted harshly against its enemies. But 400 ISIS docs now show that ISIS also mistreated its own citizens &fighters. Corruption &violence were widespread. Today, @CTCWP releases those 400 docs. I was allowed to preview them. Here my @akhbar story:
2/ The almost 400 ISIS docs are mostly messages of citizens to ISIS officials complaining about other ISIS officials.
Complaints of illegal arrests, beatings, ISIS soldiers committing theft, torture...
Complaints are from 2015 - 2017, when ISIS caliphate consisted of large parts of Syria & Iraq. Many complaints are addressed to the ISIS wali of Raqqah. Some files are from Iraq or Yemen.
3/ These documents were found by the U.S. army in Syria and Iraq. Today, @CTCWP publishes these docs. I was allowed to preview the documents for @akhbar exclusively.
1/ On June 16, @CENTCOM conducted airstrike in Syria killing an ISIS official. Btwn all the news from Ukraine & Gaza, it hardly got any attention. Even location of strike wasn't known. That got me interested. For @akhbar I started investigating. Thread.👇 akhb.ar/N79p2
2/ First, I started contacting my sources in Syria. Who heard of an airstrike that killed one man on Sunday 16, the day before Eid? And if yes, where did it happen? And was this indeed the same strike that the Americans conducted?
3/ Sources told me that somebody was killed by an airstrike nearby Afrin. Then, I spoke to @farhad_shami, head of the media center of the SDF. He confirmed it too. “We had knowledge of the [recent] operation,” said Shami. “The movements of the target were monitored. Especially during the last two days before the operation. He was moving around Al Bab, Mare’ and finally Afrin.”
1/ The last hours of a killed ISIS leader's life looked like a Hollywood movie. Not only did he escape twice, also villagers tell @akhbar US forces killed 2rebels who had nothing to do with ISIS.
2/ As the story is published in Arabic on the website of my company @akhbar, I will post the main points in English in this thread. Of course, you can also open the Arabic page and use google Translate. tinyurl.com/2t3yccaa
3/ The US raid took place last Monday around 0130 AM near Jarablus. I sent 2 sources to the area. They spoke to witnesses; neighbors, relatives &villagers. They also exclusively visited the targeted house where the ISIS leader secretly lived. This is a drone shot of that house: