- The president immediately changed his plans for an air strike on militants backed by Iran.
- Battlefield intelligence indicated the presence of a woman and children in one of the two strike areas.
- With fighters in the air, Biden chose to hit only one target, bypassing the one with civilians.
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With attack planes already in the air and on their way to the targets, President Joe Biden was on the verge of making changes to the plans for his first major military order as commander-in-chief not to avoid the deaths of a woman and children, reports The Wall Street Journal Thursday. .
Last Thursday, Biden ordered the U.S. military to launch a strike against facilities in Syria used by Iranian – backed militants and carrying out a series of rocket attacks in Iraq that killed and wounded U.S. and coalition personnel.
The Pentagon said in a statement that “the operation sends a clear message: President Biden will act to protect the US and coalition personnel.”
Although other military operations have taken place since Biden took office, last Thursday’s strikes are the first known military action the president has personally taken.
F-15E Strike Eagle
U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Chris Drzazgowski
Two F-15E Strike Eagles dropped seven ammunition that was precisely guided, destroying nine facilities and damaging two others at a location in Abu-Kamal along the border between Iraq and Syria.
The targets were deliberately chosen to paralyze military operations, as well as to send a message to Iran, but not to leave a significant number of victims behind.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the plan was initially to reach more targets, but Biden, led by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, changed the plan with the strike plane only about 30 minutes from the target after the intelligence a woman with children in a courtyard.
The battlefield information indicating that there is a woman with children in the strike area was passed on to the president by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Biden then had to decide to eliminate the airstrikes or hit only one of the two targets.
Biden opted for the latter. Bombs fell on the lone target in Syria around 1:30 p.m.
In the aftermath, the president made clear in a public statement his message to the militias and Iran that supports Iran, saying, “You can not act with impunity. Be careful.”
The Biden government began responding shortly after a rocket attack in mid-February in which a coalition contractor was killed and at least seven Americans were injured, including a U.S. service member.
Last Thursday morning, Biden met with senior officials in the Situation Room, where he was presented with a variety of possible retaliatory actions. The president’s choice was the most conservative of the options available, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Biden’s decision to change its plans to prevent the unwanted deaths of women and children is in line with other administrative actions, such as the decision to curb drone strikes outside active war zones, amid an ongoing policy review or steps are needed to better prevent the unintended death of civilians.
The airstrike in Syria killed one member of the militia and wounded two others. The Pentagon stated that the strike had achieved its goals amid questions about whether the strikes were a sufficient response.
‘It is really designed to do two things: to remove the connection from its use as an access point from Syria to Iraq, and two, to send a very strong signal that we are not going to tolerate attacks on our people. . and about our Iraqi partners, ‘Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday.
Although the air strike was intended to prevent future rocket attacks, Al Asad Airbase came under fire in Iraq on Wednesday.
No one was killed by the ten rockets fired at the base, but a U.S. civilian contractor suffered a heart attack while hiding and later died. The Biden administration is still considering what its response will be as the investigation continues.