America's "war on terrorism" began in 2001 with the 9/11 incident in the United States. Mopping-up operations against “terrorist organizations” have continued in various places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. On the other hand, collateral damage to civilians unrelated to ``terrorism'' continues unabated. In December last year, with the help of a local reporter, I interviewed a family that was wounded in a U.S. drone attack in Idlib, Syria. (Interview and Composition: Eiko Tamamoto/Asia Press, Cooperation: Muhammad Al Asmar)
On the morning of December 3, last year, a motorcycle running in the outskirts of Idlib in northwestern Syria. A U.S. military drone (unmanned attack aircraft), which was following the movement from above, fired a missile and hit the motorcycle. The man on board was dismembered and died instantly.
Ahmad Kasum, 52, who was driving to the scene in a car carrying his family, was caught in the explosion.
"When my car approached the motorcycle, it was surrounded by sand smoke with a big impact."
Ahmad's car was also hit, and his wife and four children were injured. At the hospital, he learned that the explosion had been caused by a US missile.
Two years ago, Mr. Ahmad's family became internally displaced after fleeing an attack by the Assad regime's government forces. He said the bombers were either government forces or Russian forces supporting them.
"I can't believe my family suffered this because of the American attack."
"War on Terror" After 20 years "America has abandoned us" (12 photos)
Idlib is an area ruled by dissidents, and fighting with government forces continues in the surrounding area. It is also a base for Islamic armed factions such as the Siamese Liberation Organization, and foreign fighters are also entering. The United States has tracked down and killed with airstrikes many times those believed to be leaders of terrorist organizations.
Regarding the drone operation in December, the US Department of Defense announced that "the dead were executives of al-Qaeda-affiliated group Hurrah al-Din."
Hullas al-Din is known as an offshoot of the Siamese Liberation Organization. The man on the motorcycle who was killed was Musab Kinan, 20, from Idlib.
A young acquaintance testified, ``He was only a driver and bodyguard in the past, not an executive.'' Musab's brother said he left the organization a year ago and has since attended law school at a local university, preparing to reenter a different department.
"It was just when I started studying again."
When the US military carries out a killing operation, the target is selected based on the information of the local collaborators and the interception of communication. It is unclear whether Musab was misidentified as an executive or if it was a warning to the organization. However, it is believed that the missiles were launched only after knowing that a civilian vehicle was near the motorcycle.
The ``War on Terror'', the longest war in American history for 20 years, was the result of last summer's withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban. Back to the drawing board with the revival of the government. Meanwhile, airstrikes by drones and fighter planes in the airspace of other countries, including Syria, continue. The repeated erroneous bombings in the "war on terrorism" and the anger of the residents over the collateral damage had the ironic result of amplifying anti-American sentiment.
In 2019, the leader of the extremist organization "Islamic State (IS)" hiding in northern Idlib died in a suicide bombing in a surprise attack by the US Army Special Forces. On the 3rd of this month, the leader of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi, who is said to be his successor, was also identified as a hiding place, and he was cornered by the US special forces and died by suicide bombing. For the United States, "successful" operations are widely reported, but the actual damage caused by accidental bombings is rarely brought to light.
According to a local reporter, in the past two years alone, Idlib has been bombed eight times by US forces, killing 18 people. Four were civilians, including children. The U.S. military has neither apologized nor compensated the collateral victims. It is true that the military operations of the US military have contained extremist groups like IS to a certain extent. However, while "counter-terrorist operations" have been deployed in the name of humanity and justice, how much has been done to investigate and compensate for accidental bombings and collateral damage, and to pursue accountability?
"The United States, which criticized the Assad regime, which does not care about the lives of its citizens, dropped bombs at the expense of its citizens. It has become unbelievable for any country."
Mr. Ahmad, who was caught up in the attack, lamented.
*This article is an addition to the article dated February 1, 2022, which was serialized in the Mainichi Shimbun Osaka edition.