Jumat, 04 Februari 2022

How China is using Winter Olympics to whitewash regime’s execution vans, concentration camps, black jails &... - The US Sun

CHINA has been accused of using the Winter Olympics to try to "whitewash" the regime's disturbing record of torture and executions.

The world's eyes have descended on Beijing as the glitzy opening ceremony kicked off the 2022 games.

A woman is taken away for her execution after being sentenced to death

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A woman is taken away for her execution after being sentenced to deathCredit: AFP
Pictures allegedly shows Chinese officials loading a man into the back of an 'execution van'

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Pictures allegedly shows Chinese officials loading a man into the back of an 'execution van'
Uighurs are being rounded up into prison camps by the Communist Party

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Uighurs are being rounded up into prison camps by the Communist Party

But hidden from view are the hideous human rights abuses allegedly carried out like clockwork by the regime.

Gory executions, brutal torture and "concentration camps" are just some of vile measures the Communist regime has allegedly inflicted on its own people for decades.

Human rights organisations have insisted Chinese authorities should not be allowed to use the Winter Olympics as a "sportswashing" opportunity to improve its tarnished reputation.

As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, it's feared China will put on a glossy and carefully stage-managed image to the rest of the world as the Communists attempt to airbrush their horrendous history of show trials, executions, and some of the worst torture imaginable - let alone alleged genocide.

Ahead of the games, China has been determined to crush any sign of dissent, and officials have warned that even foreign athletes who make political statements would be subject to "certain punishment".

But leading human rights organisation Amnesty International has blasted China for "sportswashing" in an attempt to "deflect attention" from its "abysmal human rights situation".

Most read in The US Sun

Alkan Akad, China researcher at Amnesty International, told The Sun Online: "The Chinese government is using the Olympics to try to improve its global image, capitalising on the glamour, prestige and public interest of sport to gloss over its deplorable human rights record. "

He added: "With the 2022 Games, the Chinese government aims to showcase how China has grown since the 2008 Summer Games.

"It wants to highlight China’s superpower status and deflect attention from its abysmal human rights situation. This amounts to sportswashing."

The expert warned the human rights situation has actually got worse since 2008 - and called on the world's governments to push for change in China.

In its 100 year history, the Communist party has run a murderous regime which is believed to be “the world's most prolific executioner".

Thousands are thought to perish each year at the bloody hands of authorities using firing squads, lethal injections and mobile death vans.

The true numbers of those killed by the Communist Party are thought to be staggeringly high - but the regime keeps them closely concealed as state secrets.

With successive leaders over this period, the regime has crushed peaceful opposition with anyone falling foul of the Communist Party facing the abyss of mental or physical death.

In 2020, the global figure of at least 483 recorded executions excludes the thousands of executions believed to have been carried out in China.

And horror stories from people holed up in China's hellish "black jails" have emerged ever since Xi Jinping became president as citizens are snatched off the streets and thrown into cells.

Human rights are deeply and widely disregarded by the regime. And the situation has certainly worsened in recent years

Roger Garside

So-called black jails, or Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL), see people denied all contact with the outside world, interrogated non-stop for a total of up to six months - with officers given virtually free reign to coerce confessions from, torture, threaten and mistreat victims.

Human rights activist Peter Dahlin was confined to a “suicide-padded” cell with just two silent guards for company, watching his every move for 23 days after 20 police stormed his Beijing flat in the dead of night.

The 41-year-old was deprived of sleep, access to his embassy, the right to exercise or even to sunlight - with his only source of relief from his own thoughts was exhausting late-night interrogation sessions - between six and 12 hours long.

Meanwhile, human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghur Muslims against their will over the past few years.

Hundreds of thousands have been incarcerated in a network of what the state calls "re-education camps" - but what has been branded by some as "concentration camps".

There is also evidence they are being used as forced labour in factories producing goods for well-known western brands.

Women are said to have been being sterilised and some former camp detainees have also alleged they were tortured and sexually abused.

And from the 90s and into the 00s it is claimed China sought to "eradicate" the Falun Gong religious movement, allegedly carrying out tactics such torture, organ harvesting, forced labour and "re-education".

Victims claimed they were horribly tortured such as having pins pushed under their nails, given electric shocks, been force-fed and other methods designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation.

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Prisoners in black jails are routinely tortured and often held for up to six months before being released on probation

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Prisoners in black jails are routinely tortured and often held for up to six months before being released on probationCredit: AP:Associated Press

Amnesty's Mr Akad added: "Since early 2017, huge numbers of men and women from predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang have been arbitrarily detained.

"They include hundreds of thousands who have been sent to prisons in addition to hundreds of thousands – perhaps even a million or more – who have been sent to internment camps.

"Torture and other ill-treatment is systematic in the camps and every aspect of daily life is regimented in an effort to forcibly instil a secular, homogeneous Chinese nation and Communist party ideals."

Roger Garside - who previously worked as a Professor of China Studies at the US Navy Post-Graduate School - says Chinese authorities purposely keep their rules "ambiguous" in a bid to snare anyone at their will.

"Human rights are deeply and widely disregarded by the regime," the former diplomat told the Sun Online.

"And the situation has certainly worsened in recent years.

"There aren't clear rules - there is very deliberate ambiguity in drafting laws, so ultimately the law is whatever the party deems it to be at any time.

"Laws are drafted with careful ambiguity so that, on politically sensitive matters, the crucial decision about whether 'subject A' has broken the law or not is ultimately determined on political grounds by the Communist party.

"It is in effect and visible constantly. There are no clear red lines. People living in China are not citizens, they are inhabitants. To be a citizen is to have rights.

"They are not citizens, they are subjects of this regime. And because of deliberate ambiguity in the law, people know they have to exercise self-control and self-censorship.

"China’s constitution puts the Communist Party above the law and recognizes no limits to its authority. The Party acts as the supreme arbiter of truth and falsehood, right and wrong."

The public sentencing of 55 people in a stadium - with some of them carted off to be killed

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The public sentencing of 55 people in a stadium - with some of them carted off to be killedCredit: Reuters
A woman, convicted of murder, shouts as she hears the verdict before being taken to be executed in China

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A woman, convicted of murder, shouts as she hears the verdict before being taken to be executed in China
Chinese criminals are lined up preparing to be sentenced - with 11 of them given the death penalty

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Chinese criminals are lined up preparing to be sentenced - with 11 of them given the death penaltyCredit: AFP - Getty

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2022-02-04 16:48:00Z
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China joins Russia in opposing Nato expansion - BBC News

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in Beijing
Getty Images

China has joined Russia in opposing further Nato expansion as the two countries move closer together in the face of Western pressure.

Moscow and Beijing issued a statement showcasing their agreement on a raft of issues during a visit by Russia's Vladimir Putin for the Winter Olympics.

Mr Putin claims Western powers are using the Nato defence alliance to undermine Russia.

It comes amid tensions over Ukraine, which he denies planning to invade.

Some 100,000 Russian troops remain at the border with Ukraine, which is a former Soviet republic. Mr Putin, who has written that Russians and Ukrainians are "one nation", has demanded that Ukraine be barred from joining Nato.

While the lengthy joint statement did not refer directly to Ukraine, the two countries accused Nato of espousing a Cold War ideology.

The talks, which the Kremlin said were "very warm", were held ahead of the Games opening ceremony. It was the first time the leaders have met face-to-face since the start of the pandemic.

"Friendship between [Russia and China] has no limits, there are no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation," the statement reads.

Security alliance

The two countries said they were "seriously concerned" about the Aukus security pact between the US, UK and Australia.

Announced last year, Aukus will see Australia build nuclear-powered submarines as part of efforts to boost security in the Asia-Pacific region. It is largely seen as an effort to counter China, which has been accused of raising tensions in disputed territories such as the South China Sea.

Meanwhile Russia said it supported Beijing's One China policy, which asserts that self-ruled Taiwan is a breakaway province that will eventually be part of China again.

However, Taiwan sees itself as an independent country, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.

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Analysis box by Robin Brant, Shanghai correspondent

They had lunch, they had talks then they went off to see a show together - a big show.

Vladimir Putin is the star guest in Beijing for the start of the winter games. Of more significance to this visit is the increased co-operation and shared view of the world that Presidents Xi and Putin are keen to show.

Although Ukraine wasn't mentioned it was clearly hinted at when they both said they oppose the enlargement of the Nato alliance.

For China this is a delicate balance. Beijing has relations with Ukraine - political and economic. Any Russia invasion or military attack there could be damaging for President Xi's standing.

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Amid a growing war of words, the US on Wednesday accused Russia of planning to stage a fake Ukrainian attack that it would use to justify an invasion.

Russia denied it was planning to fabricate an attack, and the US did not provide evidence to support the claim.

Earlier the US said it was sending more troops to eastern Europe to support Nato allies. Russia said the move was "destructive" and showed that its concerns about Nato's eastward expansion were justified.

Graphic showing positioning of Russian troops..
1px transparent line

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2022-02-04 12:48:39Z
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Vladimir Putin 'falls asleep' as Ukraine team walks past at Winter Olympics - Metro.co.uk

Putin at Winter Olympics
It all seems to have got a bit much for the Russian president (Picture: NBC)

Vladimir Putin has been caught on camera appearing to nod off during the Ukrainian national anthem.

The Russian president seemed to be napping when the nation’s athletes were introduced at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

Ukrainian competitors waved the flag in front of president Putin during the Beijing display amid dramatic tensions between the countries.

The moment may well have been one of high drama and Kremlinologists would have been watching closely for his reaction.

But when the camera cut away to the stands, president Putin’s eyes were shut and he appeared to suddenly come back around midway through.

Around 100,000 Russian soldiers are massed on Ukraine’s borders and fears are rising Moscow is planning a full invasion.

While most Western leaders have chosen not to attend the Winter Olympics, Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jinping have used the games as an excuse to reaffirm ties between the two.

The Russian president appeared to be squeezing in a power nap during Ukraine’s section of the ceremony (Picture: NBC)

In a move which will worry the West, China and Russia proclaimed a deep strategic alliance on Friday to balance what they portrayed as the malign global influence of the United States.

In a joint statement, the two countries affirmed that their new relationship was superior to any political or military alliance of the Cold War era.

It said the ‘friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no “forbidden” areas of cooperation’ before announcing plans to work together in a host of areas including space, climate change, artificial intelligence and control of the internet.

The move to strengthen ties between Moscow and Beijing come after UK defence chiefs warned Russia may be planning to stage an incident to justify an invasion.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo prior to their talks in Beijing, China.
President Putin met with his Chinese counterpart and declared a deep alliance between the two countries (Picture: AP)

A spokesperson for the prime minister said: ‘I can’t comment on the specific intelligence but we have high confidence Russia is planning to engineer a pretext, blaming Ukraine for the attack in order to justify a Russian incursion into Ukraine.’

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday dismissed as ‘nonsense’ allegations by the United States that Moscow was preparing a fake video as a pretext for starting a war in Ukraine, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.

US intelligence agencies believe Russia has formed a plan to use a fabricated video showing the graphic aftermath of an explosion targeting Russian people as a pretext for an invasion, Washington said on Thursday.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2022-02-04 13:47:00Z
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Winter Olympics 2022: Vladimir Putin hails 'unprecedented' alliance with Xi Jinping - The Times

President Putin hailed China’s “unprecedented” co-operation with Russia as President Xi welcomed him to Beijing hours before the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

The pair posed together for cameras in a show of unity as Moscow confronts the West over Ukraine and Beijing faces down a US-led diplomatic boycott of the Games over its human rights records.

“We are working together to bring to life true multilateralism,” Xi said to Putin, according a Kremlin press release. “Defending the real spirit of democracy serves as a reliable foundation for uniting the world in overcoming crises and defending equality.”

“China is willing to work with Russia to fully exploit the political advantage of the bilateral relations and push for more fruitful results out of pragmatic cooperation,” Xi

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2022-02-04 12:00:00Z
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Morocco: Five-year-old boy trapped inside well for three days as rescuers race to save him - Sky News

The race is on to save a five-year-old boy who has been stuck inside a well for the last three days.

Rescue workers in northern Morocco have been digging around the clock to reach the young child who became trapped at the bottom of the 32m (105ft) deep well after he fell down it on Tuesday night.

Response teams have managed to pass him oxygen and water using a rope but have not been able to reach him to bring him back to the surface.

Thousands of Moroccans have taken to social media to express their sympathy with the boy, causing the hashtag #SaveRayan to trend on Twitter for hours across the country.

"I pray and beg God that he comes out of that well alive and safe," the boy's mother Wassima Kharchich told local television 2M.

"Please God, ease my pain and his, in that hole of dust."

A CCTV camera has been sent down to monitor him, according to Morocco's official MAP news agency.

More on Morocco

Civil defense and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. (AP Photo)
Image: Civil defence and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue the boy. Pic: AP

On Thursday, rescuers used five bulldozers to dig a hole parallel in an attempt to reach the youngster, with local officials saying they have reached 19m deep so far.

"I managed to communicate with the child and ask if he could hear me," Red Crescent volunteer Imad Fahmy told 2M.

Residents watch in concern as civil defense and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. (AP Photo)
Image: Residents watch in concern as rescuers dig for the boy. Pic: AP

"There was a response. I waited for a minute and saw that he began using the oxygen."

Medical staff are on site to attend to the boy, with a helicopter on standby to transport him to the nearest hospital.

Government spokesperson Mustapha Baytas said they are closely monitoring the situation, studying different ways to help save him.

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2022-02-04 05:30:25Z
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Kamis, 03 Februari 2022

Erdogan walks fine line with Putin over support for Ukraine - Financial Times

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a deal to deepen defence co-operation with Ukraine in defiance of warnings from Moscow not to further arm Kyiv.

The Turkish leader struck a raft of deals on free trade and defence with Kyiv after three hours of talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital.

These include joint production in Ukraine of lethal drones, expanding a partnership that has seen Kyiv buy at least 20 unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey — and deploy them against Russian-backed separatists.

Erdogan, who described Zelensky as a “dear friend”, restated his support for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine and Crimea and his offer to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. Turkey wanted to “ease tensions rather than fuel military escalation,” he said.

Describing their relationship as one of “real friends”, Zelensky thanked Erdogan for his mediation offer. “Today we have signed an agreement that will significantly expand the production of Baykar UAVs in Ukraine,” Zelensky said, adding: “These are new technologies, new jobs and strengthening Ukraine’s of defence capabilities.”

But Erdogan faces a tricky balancing act. The show of support by Turkey, a Nato member, for Ukraine belies a close but complex relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin and significant Russian leverage over Turkey.

The Turkish president, for years accused by the west of turning towards Moscow and abandoning Nato, has not only repeatedly warned of the dangers of deeper Russian incursion into Ukraine but has also supplied the country with weapons including armed drones.

That support for Kyiv carries great risks for Turkey, analysts say, given its economic reliance on Russia and the risk that Putin could use gas, tourism, trade and the conflict in Syria as political weapons against Erdogan.

Vladimir Putin, left, with Erdogan, right, at the inauguration ceremony of a new gas pipeline in Istanbul in January 2020
Vladimir Putin, left, Russia’s president, with Erdogan, right, at the inauguration ceremony for a new gas pipeline in Istanbul in January 2020 © Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

The Turkish president’s trip to Kyiv marked the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations and was long planned as part of a decade-long push to build economic, cultural and political ties.

The decision to go ahead with the trip despite the tense backdrop was viewed in Kyiv as highly symbolic. Turkey opposed Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, driven by a centuries’ long suspicion of Russian expansionism and concern for the Crimean Tatar minority.

But Erdogan’s relationship with Putin, however, has grown much closer in the years since then, spurred by his growing isolation from the west.

The Turkish president’s decision to buy a Russian S-400 air defence system in the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt prompted claims that Turkey had abandoned Nato and led the US to expel Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet programme.

Despite warm personal ties between Erdogan and Putin, however, the two leaders have often found themselves competing rather than co-operating — especially in the realm of foreign policy. Turkish officials frequently point out that they have backed the opposite side to the Russians in conflicts in Syria, Libya and in the Caucasus.

“They are very proud of the fact that they are the ones confronting Russia on the ground [in these areas],” said a US official. “This is contradicted by the S-400 sale but it is also true.”

Column chart of Defence and aerospace exports showing Turkey's defence sales to Ukraine have grown in recent years

Moscow has been particularly irked by the growing defence co-operation between Turkey and Ukraine. Russian officials last October warned that Turkish drones could “destabilise” the frontline after Ukraine’s armed forces said a Turkish-made drone had destroyed an artillery unit belonging to Russian-backed separatists.

Even before Thursday’s deal, Ukraine had already acquired “around 20” TB2 drones, according to Vasyl Bodnar, the country’s ambassador to Ankara, with more expected to follow.

Kyiv has also placed an order for two Turkish warships, and Ukrainian defence firms are supplying engines for Turkish-made attack helicopters, cruise missiles and for a higher-spec Baykar drone.

Western nations have been buoyed by Ankara’s willingness to continue supplying weaponry. “Turkey’s materiel support to Ukraine has been substantial,” said the US official, adding that Washington would be happy if Ankara simply did “more of the same”.

Like Germany, however, Ankara is acutely aware of the pressure points that Putin could exploit if he felt that it had crossed a red line.

Turkey is heavily reliant on imported natural gas to fuel its power stations and heat its homes, and has already been suffering from shortages this year. Nearly half of Turkey’s gas supply came from Moscow in the first 11 months of 2021, according to data from the Istanbul-based energy consultancy IBS.

Putin has previously shown willingness to weaponise Russian tourists, who were Turkey’s top foreign visitors in 2019. He banned package holidays to the country in 2015 after the Turkish air force downed a Russian fighter jet near the border with Syria.

He also banned imports of Turkish tomatoes. Russia was the most important market for Turkish fruit and vegetable exports last year, generating a third of the sector’s $3bn in foreign revenues.

The potential economic disruption to Turkey is one of the reasons why Ankara is so eager to see tensions cool, said Burak Pehlivan, chair of the Turkish-Ukrainian Business Association. “Nobody in this geography will win from a conflict,” he said. “The most affected country after Ukraine and Russia would be Turkey.”

But the vulnerability that worries Turkey the most is Idlib, the last rebel-held province of Syria, where thousands of Turkish troops are policing an uneasy stalemate with the Russian-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Erdogan is already under political pressure at home over the country’s 3.6mn Syrian refugees. Ankara believes that air strikes by Russian jets on civilian targets in the province earlier this month were a warning to Turkey — and to Europe — that Moscow could send millions more refugees its way.

Turkey’s weak spots mean that western officials are resigned to the fact that the country is unlikely to sign up to a new sanctions regime against Russia if an invasion does take place.

But the real challenge for Ankara, which polices the 1936 Montreux convention that governs access for warships to the Black Sea, would be what to do if Nato called upon Turkey to provide more military support.

“What happens if Nato wants to use Turkish military facilities to support maritime or air operations?” asked a defence official from another western country. “That would really put them in a really difficult position.”

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2022-02-03 17:00:35Z
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Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blows himself and his family up during US raid in Syria - Sky News

The leader of Islamic State has blown himself up in what President Joe Biden said was an "act of cowardice" during a raid by US special forces in Syria.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi exploded a bomb that killed him and members of his family as American forces approached a house in the village of Atmeh, in the rebel-held province of Idlib, a US official said.

He was among at least 13 people including four women who died during the operation, which lasted two hours.

Picture shows – Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi also know as Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi .  He has been reported to have been killed in the USA led raid in Syria
Image: Al-Qurayshi killed himself during a US operation that lasted two hours

At least six children were also among the dead, with one girl badly injured as the violence unfolded, children's charity UNICEF said in a statement.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the mission was "successful", adding there were no US military casualties.

President Biden announced the killing in a statement, saying: "Thanks to the skill and bravery of our armed forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi."

He said troops "successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place".

More on Islamic State

In a White House address on Thursday, the president said he was determined to protect US citizens from terrorist threats and vowed to take "decisive action" to protect the country.

Mr Biden told the nation: "Last night, operating on my orders, the United States military forces successfully removed a major terrorist threat to the world, the global leader of ISIS."

Since Al-Qurayshi took control of the terror group in 2019, "ISIS has directed terrorist operations targeting Americans, our allies and our partners, and countless civilians in the Middle East, Africa and in South Asia," Mr Biden said.

"He oversaw the spread of ISIS affiliated terrorist groups around the world after savaging communities and murdering innocents.

"Thanks to the bravery of our troops this horrible terrorist leader is no more."

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Biden: Terrorist died in 'final act of cowardice'

Mr Biden said the US department of defence took "every precaution possible to minimise civilian casualties" and chose to pursue a special forces raid rather targeting Al-Qurayshi with an airstrike, "at a much greater risk to our own people".

And he branded the terror leader a "coward".

A doll lies among debris inside a house in the aftermath of a counter-terrorism mission conducted by the U.S. Special Operations Forces in Atmeh, Syria, February 3, 2022 in this picture obtained from social media. Courtesy of Mohamed Al-Daher/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Image: A doll lies among debris inside a house in the aftermath of a counter-terrorism mission conducted by the U.S. Special Operations Forces Pic: Mohamed Al-Daher/via REU

"We do know, as our troops approached to capture the terrorist, in a final desperate act of cowardice, he, with no regard for the lives of his own family or others in the building, chose to blow himself up... rather than face justice."

"Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield and has sent a strong message to terrorists around the world," Mr Biden added, as he warned: "We will come after you and find you."

Military devices are shown outside a destroyed house after an operation by the U.S. military in the Syrian village of Atmeh in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. U.S. special forces carried out what the Pentagon said was a successful, large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday. Local residents and activists said civilians were also among the dead. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
PIC:AP
Image: Military devices outside a house after the operation by the US military in Atmeh

A US administration official blamed the civilian casualties on the explosive used by militants.

One of the helicopters used in the raid suffered a mechanical problem and had to be blown up on the ground, officials said.

Al-Qurayshi, also known as Amir Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, was named as the second leader of IS after founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in October 2019.

"While we are still assessing the results of this operation, this appears to be the same cowardly terrorist tactic we saw in the 2019 operation that eliminated al-Baghdadi," the US official said.

IS has been trying for a resurgence in the region, launching a series of attacks that include an assault on a prison last month.

Fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces man a checkpoint in Hassakeh, northeast Syria, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022.Clashes between U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters and militants continued for a fourth day Sunday near the prison in northeastern Syria that houses thousands of members of IS, the Kurdish force said. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)
Image: Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fighters at a checkpoint in Hassakeh, northeast Syria

The US raid began at around midnight as helicopters landed and heavy gunfire was heard, according to residents.

American troops used loudspeakers to warn women and children to leave the area.

The top floor of the house was destroyed during the clash and body parts were seen scattered near the site.

People check at a destroyed house after an operation by the U.S. military in the Syrian village of Atmeh, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. U.S. special operations forces conducted a large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria overnight Thursday, in what the Pentagon said was a ???successful mission.??? Residents and activists reported multiple deaths including civilians from the attack. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
PIC:AP
Image: The remains of a house after a US military operation in Atmeh, close to the Turkish border

Residents told of the relentless gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh, near the Turkish border, in northwest Syria - which is home to many camps for people displaced from the country's civil war.

Areas in the town populated by civilians were "severely damaged" according to reports, the UNICEF statement said.

Islamic State group fighters, who surrendered after clashing with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, at Gweiran Prison, in Hassakeh. Pic: SDF/AP
Image: Islamic State group fighters, who surrendered after clashing with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, at Gweiran Prison, in Hassakeh. Pic: SDF/AP

Since the year began, violence has heavily escalated in and around Idlib in Syria's northwest, which is home to 1.2 million children in need of assistance, the charity added.

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2022-02-03 16:30:00Z
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