U.S. forces launch raid in Syria, civilians reported dead

U.S. special forces carried out what the Pentagon said was a successful, large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday. First responders at the scene reported 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women.

The operation, which residents say lasted about two hours, jolted the sleepy village of Atmeh near the Turkish border -- an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria's civil war. The target of the raid was not immediately clear.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement that the mission was a success. "There were no U.S. casualties. More information will be provided as it becomes available."

Several residents told The Associated Press they saw body parts scattered near the site of the raid, a house in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, and said the raid involved helicopters, explosions and machine-gun fire.

It was the largest raid in the province since the 2019 U.S. assault targeting the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Idlib is is broadly controlled by Turkey-backed fighters, but is also an Al-Qaida stronghold and home to several of its top operatives. Other militants have also found refuge in the region.