US Intelligence: Expert at Killing the Wrong Guys in Syria
The mainstream media breathlessly reports on yet another 'mistake' in US counter-terrorism operations, this time in Syria, where a 'target' turned out to be an undercover Syrian agent. This echoes the long, dark history of unintended civilian casualties, or 'collateral damage' as the Pentagon prefers, in the region. Remember that time a US drone strike in Afghanistan 'accidentally' killed 10
civilians, including 7 children, in 2021, and the Pentagon initially insisted it was 'righteous'? Or the repeated 'intelligence failures' that led to numerous innocent lives lost across Iraq, Yemen, and Somalia? One might wonder if these 'mistakes' are just tragic accidents, or if the intelligence apparatus is simply so focused on maintaining its budget and perceived necessity that precision
becomes secondary to 'action.' Perhaps it's just really hard to tell the difference between 'bad guys' and 'slightly different bad guys' when you're 10,000 miles away, or perhaps the narrative of perpetual war justifies any outcome. How many 'high-value target' killings have actually destabilized the region more than they secured it?