Donald Trump issues Liam Neeson style ‘we will find you’ warning after huge IS strike | World | News
Trump said the attacks were a direct response to the Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra in which two U.S. soldiers and a civilian translator were killed. Three American soldiers were also injured during the incident.
Posting on Truth Social, the US president said the country was taking “serious retaliation” against those responsible and added that Syrian officials supported the action.
He said: “If you target Americans anywhere in the world, you will spend the rest of your short, anxious life knowing that the United States will hunt you down, find you, and brutally kill you.”
This is similar to Neeson’s iconic quote in the movie Taken: “I have very special skills… skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you leave my daughter now, that will be the end of everything. I won’t look for you, I won’t come after you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”
Militants responsible for targeting Americans will spend a lifetime “looking over their shoulders”, the US Defense Secretary said, adding that US forces will track them down and kill them wherever they are.
The comments follow Operation Hawkeye Strike, launched late Friday, in which U.S. Central Command said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery units attacked more than 70 ISIS-affiliated sites in central Syria. Aircraft from Jordan also participated in the mission.
According to Centcom, more than 100 precision weapons were used to hit weapons depots, command areas and other infrastructure used by the extremist group.
Centcom commander Adm. Brad Cooper said U.S. forces will continue to aggressively target militants who threaten American personnel or allies in the region.
The Pentagon said the ambush in Palmyra was carried out by an ISIS attacker who was shot and killed during the incident. However, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights made a contradictory statement, claiming that the attacker was linked to Syrian security forces. No group has officially claimed responsibility and the identity of the attacker has not been made public.
The Observatory also reported that Friday’s attacks hit ISIS positions near Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor and killed several fighters, including a senior figure within the group. These claims could not be independently verified and ISIS has yet to comment.
Although ISIS lost the last region it controlled in Syria in 2019, it continues its activities. The United Nations estimates that between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters are still operating in Syria and Iraq.
US forces have been deployed in Syria since 2015 as part of an international campaign aimed at weakening ISIS and supporting local partners. Syria recently joined a multinational effort against the group and has pledged to cooperate with Washington.
Relations between the two countries have changed in recent months. In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara met with Trump at the White House and described the talks as the beginning of a “new phase” after his coalition removed Bashar al-Assad from power last year.
