In a recent announcement by the United States military on Sunday, it was reported that 37 militants associated with the extremist Islamic State group and an al-Qaeda-linked group were killed in two separate strikes in Syria. According to U.S. Central Command, two of those killed were identified as senior militants within the groups.
The first strike targeted a senior militant from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Deen group and eight other individuals in northwestern Syria on Tuesday. This senior militant was allegedly responsible for overseeing military operations. The second strike, conducted on September 16, was described as a “large-scale airstrike” on an IS training camp in a remote location in central Syria. This attack resulted in the deaths of 28 militants, including “at least four Syrian leaders.”
The U.S. military stated that these airstrikes were carried out to disrupt the ability of ISIS to carry out operations against U.S. interests, as well as those of their allies and partners. Currently, there are approximately 900 U.S. forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors. Their primary objective is to prevent any resurgence of the extremist IS group, which previously seized control of significant territories in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The U.S. forces in Syria work closely with key allies in the region, particularly the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who are located in northeastern Syria. This region is strategically important as it is close to areas where Iran-backed militant groups are active, including a crucial border crossing with Iraq.
