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According to the New York Times, a U.S. military drone unit struck Syria’s largest dam in 2017, despite being on the “no strikes” list.
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New York Times report The strike used some of the largest conventional bombs.
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According to the report, tens of thousands of people were at risk of flooding in a slightly avoided catastrophe.
U.S. Special Operations Drone Units hit Syria’s largest dam in 2017, despite being on the U.S. military’s “no strikes” list due to the potential flood risk of hundreds of thousands of people nearby rice field. According to the New York Times.
According to two former MTF 9 officials, operators used some of the largest conventional bombs in their arsenal, including those weighing 2,000 pounds.
Task Force 9 struck the 18-story Takubadam along the Euphrates River on March 26, 2017. Thousands of people who live nearby and wipe out the entire surrounding village.
During the strike, ISIS occupied the area of Syria and oversaw the operation of the dam.
According to The Times, the United States was accused by the ISIS, Russian and Syrian governments of the strike at the time. Then-Lieutenant. But General Stephen J. Townsend said “Crazy report.”
“Tabkadam is not the target of the coalition,” Townsend said after the blast.
The U.S. Central Command, the U.S. Central Command that oversees combat operations in the Middle East, was not immediately asked for comment, but a spokesperson for the authorities said that only the dam’s operation tower was targeted, not the dam’s wall. I told the Times. itself.
According to the report, the flood was avoided by a combination of luck and a team of keen local engineers.
Syrian engineers at the scene said one of the bombs dropped remained unexploded on the fifth floor of the complex, and the Times were able to safely dispose of the bomb, which could otherwise have removed the structure. Told to.
Two former drone operators said the equipment essential to the operation of the dam was destroyed, the dam’s reservoir rose 50 feet, the dam in northern Turkey almost spilled, and the water flow was temporarily shut down.
According to the report, a ceasefire was temporarily declared among the war sides of Syria, allowing engineers to restore the function of the dam and avoid disasters.
“The destruction would have been unimaginable,” Dam’s former director told the Times on condition of anonymity. “The number of casualties would have exceeded the number of Syrians who died during the war.”
Read the original article Business Insider
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