Current Events > US forces kill jihadist leader in Syria with precision 'ninja' missile...

(+) Yeah! (+)

...that chops up targets with blades

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/04/us-forces-kill-jihadist-leader-syria-precision-ninja-missile/

US forces are thought to have killed a senior jihadist leader in northern Syria using a rarely deployed Ninja missile which attacks targets with precision sword-like blades.
The Hellfire missile, or AGM-114R9X, which has a set of six folding blades instead of a warhead for minimum collateral damage, is believed to have been used to take out a commander in the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) in the province of Idlib.

The leader, named locally by his nom-de-guerre Abu Ahmad al-Muhajir, was reported to have been killed on Tuesday night when the car he was travelling in was hit by missiles in the town of Atmeh near the Turkish border, 10 miles from the US raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last month.
He was said to be a high-profile foreign trainer of an elite force within HTS, known as "The Red Bands". Another, unidentified fighter who had been in car was also killed.

Images of the scene shared on social media show a hole in the drivers seat of the Mutsubishi Delica, which is otherwise largely intact. Inside the car, flesh and blood can be seen and a number of large identical cut marks.
Experts point to the windows, which have not been blown out, as evidence the Ninja or so-called flying Ginsu was used.
The missile has only been deployed on a handful of occasions in the eight-year conflict in Syria, with at least one other reported use in the killing of Abu Khayr al-Masri, the deputy leader of al-Qaeda, in February 2017.

Masri was killed while driving a car in al-Mastouma, 30 miles south of Atmeh, in Idlib.

US unmanned aircraft, such as MQ-9 Reapers, can carry Hellfire missiles and are known to carry out targeted strikes.
The missile has various pros and cons; while its precision helps to minimise the risk of civilian casualties, it relies on detailed intelligence that requires a lot of human resources.
Nick Waters, a former infantry officer and investigator at Bellingcat who analysed pictures from the scene, said he could clearly see four cuts in the roof, one in the windscreen and one through the door: youve got six: the same number of blades an R9X has, he said.

"This strike is very distinctive and although the coalition have denied carrying it out, it is possible that other US agencies not under the control of the coalition, such as the CIA, may have carried out this strike unilaterally, he told the Telegraph.
The US-led coalition said it did not carry out the strike. The Telegraph approached US Central Command (CENTCOM) for comment.
The US has focused on targeting Isil leaders in northern Syria and has largely avoided HTS in Idlib in the northwest. The Islamist group rules control most of the province, pushing out more moderate groups who had previously been dominant.
It would be the first US strike on an HTS leader since 2017.
The skies above Idlib are crowded as the Syrian government and its Russian allies carry out an offensive to regain the last-remaining rebel stronghold in the country.

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The genius behind the warhead.

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Topic should be "Trump kills jihadist leader in Syria with precision 'ninja' missile..."

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Foppe posted...

The genius behind the warhead.

You get like 7 internet cookies for that. I lold for real.

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So the blades are for breaking through buildings, not for chopping up humans

he still blew up, right?

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^ I thought it cut the target up

Images of the scene shared on social media show a hole in the drivers seat of the Mutsubishi Delica, which is otherwise largely intact. Inside the car, flesh and blood can be seen and a number of large identical cut marks.

it says that there's no warhead

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Yuck... what a way to go..
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No warhead is needed if they can hit your body with a 100 pound missile at speeds above Mach 1.

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lol

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Foppe posted...

No warhead is needed if they can hit your body with a 100 pound missile at speeds above Mach 1.

true.

but while I haven't seen the pictures, the article said that car was still largely intact, so idk.

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boxington posted...

true.

but while I haven't seen the pictures, the article said that car was still largely intact, so idk.

The article got two pictures, and it is extremely intact.
Seems like a big rock hit the roof on the passenger side.

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Foppe posted...

No warhead is needed if they can hit your body with a 100 pound missile at speeds above Mach 1.

what's the point of the blades then

just whack em with the rocket propelled ball of metal

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Metal.

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Colorahdo posted...

what's the point of the blades then

just whack em with the rocket propelled ball of metal

Helps with creating an entry point.
Which is good in case they need to send a second one.
And it can do damage if the target tries to jump away.

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Foppe posted...

The genius behind the warhead.

lol this takes me waaaaay back

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Foppe posted...

The article got two pictures, and it is extremely intact.
Seems like a big rock hit the roof on the passenger side.

thanks, I just passed by the pictures other than the one showing off a model of the missile

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First Fortnite and now this? Horrible.

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ninja hellfire reaper

one more

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While other missiles were studying the explosion I studied the blade.

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boxington posted...

Images of the scene shared on social media show a hole in the drivers seat of the Mutsubishi Delica, which is otherwise largely intact. Inside the car, flesh and blood can be seen and a number of large identical cut marks.

Goddamn son.

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