US Central Command said in a press release on Wednesday that its forces conducted a series of airstrikes in Syria on October 28 and claimed the operation killed 35 ISIS members.
“The strikes targeted multiple ISIS locations in the Syrian desert, targeting multiple ISIS senior leaders,” CENTCOM said. The command claimed there was no indication of civilian casualties.
The US has about 900 troops in eastern Syria as part of an illegal military occupation that’s opposed by the Syrian government. The US also backs the Kurdish-led SDF in Syria, giving it control of about one-third of the country’s territory.
The US airstrikes in Syria came after a series of US operations against ISIS in Iraq. CENTCOM announced last week that two US troops were injured during a raid against ISIS camps in central Iraq.
In Syria and Iraq, ISIS holds no significant territory, and the Iraqi government has said repeatedly that it can handle the remnants of the terror group without US assistance. But the US continues to be involved in operations against ISIS and is refusing to withdraw troops from the country despite a deal that was reached to end the mission of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.
ISIS has claimed significantly more attacks this year than in 2023, as the group has benefited from the destabilization of the region caused by Israel’s onslaught in Gaza and the Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, the Syrian government, and the Iranian military, who are all sworn enemies of ISIS.
