U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces in the Middle East carried out a series of strikes on ISIS locations in Syria earlier this week, resulting in the deaths of up to 35 terrorists. The operation, which took place on Monday evening, targeted multiple camps across Syria and successfully eliminated multiple senior ISIS leaders.
CENTCOM confirmed that no civilian casualties were reported in the strikes. The command stated that the airstrikes were aimed at disrupting ISIS's ability to plan, organize, and carry out attacks against civilians, as well as U.S., allies, and partners in the region and beyond. The goal is to aggressively degrade ISIS operational capabilities to ensure its enduring defeat.
This development follows an incident in Iraq where two U.S. service members were injured during an operation that targeted and killed at least seven ISIS operatives. Fortunately, the injured service members are reported to be in stable condition.
While ISIS remains a security concern in Iraq and Syria, its threat level has decreased compared to a decade ago. However, there were concerns earlier this year about the potential withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by 2025.
U.S. soldiers have been actively combating ISIS alongside coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since the terrorist group emerged in 2014. Currently, there are fewer than 1,000 U.S. troops in Syria and approximately 2,500 in Iraq.
The Pentagon announced plans to adjust its presence in Iraq by 2025 but did not disclose specific details regarding troop numbers. U.S. and Iraqi coalition forces will continue to support anti-ISIS efforts in Syria while collaborating with Baghdad to determine the future deployment of U.S. troops in the region.
