US conducts counterterrorism raid in Syria, but few details offered

WASHINGTON — US Special Forces conducted a "successful" counterterrorism mission in northwest Syria Wednesday evening, the Pentagon said, but offered few other details.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement late Wednesday night that the mission was conducted by US Central Command, which controls military operations and activities in the Middle East.

"More information will be provided as it becomes available," the statement said.

There were no US casualties.

The three-sentence statement did not disclose a target for the special operations mission or whether there was any indication of civilian casualties.

CNN has reached out to Central Command.

In northwest Syria, the US has repeatedly targeted al Qaeda and its affiliates, with the Pentagon acknowledging at least one strike in recent months may have resulted in civilian casualties.

In September, the military targeted a senior al Qaeda leader near Idlib, Syria, according to a statement from Central Command. One month later, the military carried out a drone strike against Abdul Hamid al-Matar, a senior al Qaeda leader, Central Command said.

And then in December, the military targeted Musab Kinan, a senior leader of al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din, near Idlib. Central Command opened an investigation into the possibility of civilian casualties from the strike, but the Pentagon was unable to provide updates at the time. — CNN