On Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces launched airstrikes against “multiple” ISIS camps in Syria a day earlier.
“US Central Command forces conducted a series of airstrikes against multiple known ISIS camps in Syria in the early morning of October 11,” CENTCOM said in a press release.
The command did not offer details about the strike, saying its “battle damage assessments are underway.” CENTCOM claimed its assessments “do not indicate civilian casualties.”
ISIS controls no significant territory in Syria, and the group’s remnants are relegated to remote areas in both Syria and Iraq. In September, the US claimed that it killed 28 people at an ISIS camp in central Syria.
The US has about 900 US troops in eastern Syria as part of an illegal occupation that’s opposed by the Syrian government. By backing the Kurdish-led SDF, the US is able to control a significant portion of Syria’s territory, which is where most of the country’s oil fields are located.
In Iraq, the US has about 2,500 troops, which supports the US occupation of Syria. The Iraqi government says it can handle ISIS remnants without the US-led coalition, yet the US military has stepped up operations against ISIS in recent months and is doing everything it can to stay in Iraq.
The US and Iraq recently announced a plan to end the mission of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, but it allows for a continued presence of US troops in a different role. Amid soaring regional tensions, US troops in Iraq and Syria could become targets if the situation turns into a full-blown war between Israel and Iran.
