US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday that its forces launched airstrikes in Syria, claiming the attacks targeted ISIS camps and killed 12 ISIS fighters.
CENTCOM said in a press release that the strikes “were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS, preventing the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek opportunities to reconstitute in central Syria.”
It said the airstrikes were launched against targets in areas previously controlled by Russia and the previous government of Bashar al-Assad, who fled the country following the takeover of Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of al-Qaeda.
Since Assad’s downfall, the US, Turkey, and Israel have all been bombing Syria. On December 8, the day Assad fled, the US launched heavy airstrikes in Syria, saying it hit 75 ISIS-related targets.
US officials justify the strikes by saying they don’t want ISIS to reconstitute itself following the regime change. But on the other hand, the US has supported the HTS takeover even though the group is designated by the US as a terrorist organization and has a similar ideology to ISIS.
The US has also made clear it has no intention of withdrawing the approximately 900 troops that it has occupying eastern Syria. The US uses ISIS as its excuse to stay in Syria, but the presence is more about keeping Iran out of the area.
During his speech on the regime change in Syria, Biden listed the US occupation in eastern Syria as one of the ways the US put pressure on the Assad government. Recent media reports said the US offered to withdraw its troops from Syria and lift sanctions in exchange for Assad cutting ties with Iran and Hezbollah.
