US forces ‘launch new strikes’ on ISIS in Syria | World | News
US Air Force (Image: SYRIA)
US forces launched a wave of attacks against ISIS targets in Syria, killing or capturing more than 50 terrorists. Despite the death cult’s military defeat six years ago by British, American and Kurdish-led regional powers, the Middle Eastern country remains a hotbed of Islamist extremism.
Simmering sympathy for ISIS has resurfaced in recent months since a new government led by a former al-Qaeda fighter seized power in Damascus nearly a year ago. Syria is home to tens of thousands of former jihadists held in concentration camps guarded by the ethnic Kurdish-led Syrian Defense Force (SDF).
But last month most of the camps were seized by Damascus forces, some of whom are feared to have fundamentalist sympathies. Al-Hol, the world’s largest ISIS camp with 30,000 prisoners, was taken from SDF forces last month to an enthusiastic reception by those held there. CENTCOM, the US military in the region, said it had transferred 7,000 ISIS captives from Syria to neighboring Iraq as tensions between Damascus-led forces and the SDF rose in recent weeks and eased with a new ceasefire in the past few days.
CENTCOM, which still maintains control of several American bases in northeastern Syria, said it launched five strikes on ISIS targets from January 27 to February 2.
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ISIS sympathizers are still widespread in Syria (Image: Getty)
The statement stated that Operation Hawkeye Strike was a response to the ambush attack on US forces near the historical Palmyra region in central Syria on December 13, which killed two American soldiers and an American translator.
CENTCOM said more than 50 ISIS terrorists, including extremist leader Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, were killed or captured after nearly two months of targeted operations.
“Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was an experienced terrorist leader who planned attacks and was directly linked to the ISIS gunman who killed and wounded American and Syrian personnel in Palmyra, Syria, last month,” the statement said.
The Hawkeye Strike resulted in U.S. and partner forces hitting more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons range targets with more than 200 precision munitions. The US military carried out the attacks with fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Apache attack helicopters used in attacks against extremists (Image: Getty)
Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said: “The death of a terrorist agent linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our determination to pursue terrorists who attack our forces.
“There is no safe place for those who organize, plan or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warriors. We will find you.”
He added: “Hitting these targets demonstrates our continued resolve and determination to prevent the resurgence of ISIS in Syria.
“Coordinating with coalition and partner forces to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS makes America, the region, and the world safer.”
In a previous statement to Express.co.uk, CENTCOM said 150 ISIS fighters had been successfully transferred from a detention facility in Hasakah, Syria, to a safe location in Iraq.
The statement included the following: “Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees may be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities.”
