The U.S. drone strike which killed several Islamic State leaders in Syria on Thursday was, by the Defense Department's account, a very successful affair. "Initial assessments indicate no civilians were killed or wounded during this operation," said the press release. "No U.S. forces were injured or killed and there was no loss or damage to U.S. equipment in the execution of this operation."
Maybe that's all true, though with the August 2021 drone strike in Afghanistan fresh in mind—the one originally touted as a hit on the Afghan ISIS branch, then later revealed to have killed seven children—it is reasonable to be skeptical. But even if it's all true, this strike should raise two red flags.
