U.S. Failed ISIS Raid Took Place in Ukayrishah, Raqqa
Posted on Thu Aug 21, 2014 at 11:32:25 AM EST
Tags: ISIS, Syria, Iraq (all tags)
The U.S failed attack on July 4 took place at Uribase near Raqqa, at a training facility named the Usama bin Laden camp. ISIS supporters and reporters tweeted it at the time, and a few articles were written about it.
According to al-Quds soldiers with US & Jordanian insignia dropped from a stealth helo stormed an ISIS training camp in Ukayrishah, #Raqqa
BREAKING: Military raid against ISIL camp outside Raqqa in Syria early Friday morning. ISIL claims US involvement.
@Paradoxy13 @AuraSalix This is prison where most important prisoners are said to be as Father Paolo and former Raqqa Revol' Council head.
[More...]
#PT ISIS trainers Abu Baraa and Abu Mohammed al-Tunisi were allegedly killed during assault. Article via @AuraSalix [link]
The link goes to an Arabic article saying Jordan denied involvement. It continues (google translator):
News on English paratroopers attacked the arrest site for «daash» in Raqqa July 4, 2014
Witnesses said the city experienced parachutists landed from helicopters Saturday night, preceded by intensive flights flying MiG fighter, "has" landed paratrooper of hovercraft have no voice in the alakirshi area near the training camp known as camp Sheikh "Osama bin Laden's organization of the State.
They said: "Department of soldiers cut Al Riqqa Road leading to the camp, with cover from warplanes prepared to attack any convoy going to the place where the camp asking for help, as they searched houses in a village near the camp".
The witnesses said that the soldiers entered the camp, they speak English, they began the attack on the camp after the second night, which targeted at the beginning of the process all defenses in the camp, and then battle that lasted for more than half an hour, killing five members of the "daash", as well as a number of injured. Among the dead was known as "the Tunisian", Felipe and "Abu dasha" running coach in the Organization, are Tunisian, also found remnants of clothing for soldiers of attackers, the witnesses claimed they saw American and Jordanian slogans stressing that casualties among the attackers.
The camp is known as a oil business organization «daash» to make it one of the most important centres of detention and interrogation of prisoners has located south of the village of alakirshi 20 km.
The organization owns many prisons in different locations of the province, the most important building is the headquarters of Tanzim, the military court building in the city of AR Raqqah, as well as to meet the Mission of the
And many detainees are held in prisons organization «daash» revolutionary movement leaders, activists, media, military leaders in the free army, in addition to leaders of the Islamic factions. And observers said that parachuting was in response to a military parade in the streets of the main stronghold of Al rigga, who came as a celebration of the Declaration of the Organization of the "Islamic Caliphate, and installation of Abdullah Ibrahim Awad nicknamed» Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi» successor to Muslims on June 29, 2014.
The presentation covered the American military armored vehicles of the type «Hummer» contractor bargained for the Organization of the army recently entered some across the border to support the Organization in Syria, in addition to the tanks, armored vehicles and heavy guns and rocket «Scud» portable truck installed launchers.
There is also this article from July 6 (in English) by Kjetil Stormark for Hate Speech International:
Military forces in recent days have repeatedly attacked a Syrian ISIL training and military camp named after Osama Bin Laden, according to eyewitnesses. Two assault team members were said to have been killed in one of the raids, along with at least five and probably many more Islamist militants defending the camp outside Raqqa in northern Syria.
Several ISIS commanders were said to have been captured and/or wounded.
According to eyewitness accounts posted on Twitter, new strikes took place Saturday afternoon. Just before 2 pm Saturday, a Twitter user sent the following message: “#Raqqa: #SyAAF jets are flying over the city now. #Syria”
A major attack also took place on Friday morning. That raid involved planes and helicopters as well as troops who parachuted and deployed onto the ground. A local reporter working for Hate Speech International (HSI) witnessed parts of the assault at a distance.
High-ranking sources within the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, later confirmed the air raid. One of them said elements of the US and Jordanian militaries appeared to have assisted in the attack. A US military spokeswoman declined immediate comment.
Speaking to HSI on condition of anonymity, the ISIL representatives said the primary target of the assault appeared to be anti-aircraft missiles in the militant group’s possession and stored at the facility that was attacked. Recent photographs published by ISIL also suggest that the group has obtained Scud missiles. It is unclear whether they are operational.
The base under assault, Camp Sheik Osama Bin Laden, was named for the al-Qaeda founder and mastermind of the 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., that killed almost 3,000 people and led to more than a decade of war.
One ISIL source, a close associate of the ISIL commander in the Raqqa region, told HSI that two members of the attacking force were killed. Both were said to be among the military commandos who parachuted to the ground.
The source said that evidence found on the two bodies indicated that the attacking force consisted in part of private contractors, or “mercenaries”, assisted by US and Jordanian military elements.
Results unclear
It was unclear whether any anti-aircraft missiles or Scud missiles were destroyed in the raid.
HSI has not been able to verify the information through independent sources. It was also unclear what kind of evidence ISIL claims to have obtained. In the Syrian conflict, unsubstantiated and false claims are often made for propaganda purposes.
Traffic from several Twitter accounts normally associated with ISIL, or closely following the radical groups in Syria and Iraq, made reference on Friday to the attack. One Twitter account, carrying the logo of ISIL, said at least five ISIL fighters were killed.
Tweets from several Twitter accounts said the United States and Jordan had organized and orchestrated the attacks. One Twitter user called @Paradoxy13, wrote: “According to al-Quds, soldiers with US & Jordanian insignia dropped from a stealth helo stormed an ISIS training camp in Ukayrishah, #Raqqa“.
The Twitter accounts made no reference to the reported killing of two of the attackers. Established ISIL media channels had not mentioned the attack early Saturday morning. Other Twitter accounts, owned by individuals normally loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, claimed the attacks were carried out solely by Syrian Armed Forces and the Syrian Air Force. One account claimed the body count of militant islamists to be approximately 300. This number had by Saturday afternoon not been confirmed by any official sources. A detailed report from Global Research suggests that the operation, which still is ongoing, is being carried out by Syrian Armed Forces.
The camp sustained heavy damage in the attack. It is situated in a mountainous area about 30 km outside the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, which has been an ISIL stronghold since the extremist group regained control of it earlier this year. According to local and ISIL sources, the military attack against the camp lasted for two-and-a-half hours.
Following the attack, ISIL commanders gave orders to evacuate other major ISIL military camps inside Syria, HSI has learned. Heavy weapons, strategic weapon systems and soldiers were quickly evacuated from at least three camps in and around Raqqa and Aleppo, sources told HSI reporters in Syria.
...HSI sought comment from the US Central Command (CENTCOM), based in Tampa, Florida, but a spokeswoman there said she was unable to provide information about the alleged air raid in Raqqa before the publication of this story. But she said that the request would be “sent up the chain of command”.
Jordan, for its part, has maintained a restrained role towards extremist groups such as ISIL and Jabhat al Nusra and towards the war in Syria in general. According to a report from the newspaper Al Quds, Jordan denies any involvement in the reported attacks against ISIL in Raqqa and other parts of Syria. Sources told Al Quds that several of the attackers spoke English during the raid.
On August 18, Ara News article reported that on Sunday, August 17, 2014, pro-Assad forces bombed the ISIS main headquarters in Ukayrishah that held journalists and others in the Military Justice building:
Speaking to ARA News, al-Ghajar said that the pro-Assad air force targeted the building of the Military Justice Branch, which was known as IS main headquarters in Raqqa city.“The IS-held building (of Military Justice) was recently turned into a detention center, where hundreds of journalists, politicians and media activists were held, and the bombardment of the building caused casualties among the detainees too,” al-Ghajar reported.
The second main location hit by Syrian air force in Raqqa was the building of the Political Security. According to activists, the building was taken by IS and turned into an Islamic Court.
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