US President Joe Biden planned two strikes in Syria on February 26 but had to cancel one after receiving an urgent report, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) US President Joe Biden planned two strikes in Syria on February 26 but had to cancel one after receiving an urgent report, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The report received by Biden contained the battlefield reconnaissance about a group of civilians, a woman and a couple of children, being spotted in the courtyard at one of the sites, the report said. As a result, Biden removed the second target but continued with the strike on the first objective, according to the report.
US officials said the goal of the strike was not to escalate a confrontation with Iran but to respond to a rocket attack that took place on February 15 in the northern Iraq against US-led coalition. Another key objective was not to undermine Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi who is viewed by Washington as an ally in the fight against the Islamic State (a terrorist group outlawed in Russia).
On February 15, the Erbil airport located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq went under a rocket attack with reports of at least one person killed and several injured, including a US service member. February 26 retaliation strike was the first military operation of the Biden administration since taking office in January.
