To the American intelligence community, he is a ghost—a former operator who went off the books and never came back. To the Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units), he was simply Heval (Comrade) Alex, the sniper who never missed. But to ISIS, he was the “Red Devil,” a whisper of death that stalked the rubble of Raqqa.
This is the shadowy legend of the American assassin who went Kurdish.
By 2019, the “American assassin” was a liability. The CIA issued a rare “capture/kill” directive against a US citizen. But when a joint task force raided his suspected safehouse in Derik, they found only a broken chair, a single 7.62mm casing, and a note written in Kurmanji:
Note to editor: This piece is based on composite reporting from open-source intelligence (OSINT), declassified DIA documents, and interviews with regional security analysts. The subject’s identity remains unconfirmed by the US Department of Defense.
“He killed the beheaders,” recalls a Peshmerga officer. “One bullet. Always in the eye. He said it was a message: We see you. ”
To the American intelligence community, he is a ghost—a former operator who went off the books and never came back. To the Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units), he was simply Heval (Comrade) Alex, the sniper who never missed. But to ISIS, he was the “Red Devil,” a whisper of death that stalked the rubble of Raqqa.
This is the shadowy legend of the American assassin who went Kurdish. american assassin kurdish
By 2019, the “American assassin” was a liability. The CIA issued a rare “capture/kill” directive against a US citizen. But when a joint task force raided his suspected safehouse in Derik, they found only a broken chair, a single 7.62mm casing, and a note written in Kurmanji: To the American intelligence community, he is a
Note to editor: This piece is based on composite reporting from open-source intelligence (OSINT), declassified DIA documents, and interviews with regional security analysts. The subject’s identity remains unconfirmed by the US Department of Defense. This is the shadowy legend of the American
“He killed the beheaders,” recalls a Peshmerga officer. “One bullet. Always in the eye. He said it was a message: We see you. ”