U.S. soldiers secure a landing zone within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in this undated photo. CENTCOM announced Tuesday that U.S. forces killed at least seven members of the Islamic State group and captured another 18 during a series of strikes in Syria from Dec. 20-29. (Zachary Ta/U.S. Army)
U.S. forces killed at least seven members of the Islamic State group and captured another 18 during a series of strikes in Syria this month, U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday.
The attacks follow the killing of two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter in central Syria on Dec. 13.
The U.S. military and its partner forces carried out 11 missions between Dec. 20-29 that killed or captured a total of 25 ISIS members, CENTCOM said in a statement.
The operations also destroyed four ISIS weapons caches, CENTCOM said.
“We will not relent,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said in the statement. “We are steadfast in commitment to working with regional partners to root out the ISIS threat posed to U.S. and regional security.”
Two members of the Iowa National Guard and an American interpreter were killed Dec. 13 when a lone gunman ambushed U.S. and Syrian forces. President Donald Trump characterized the deaths as an “ISIS attack” and vowed swift and forceful retaliation.
In addition to the 11 missions announced Tuesday, U.S. forces conducted another large-scale strike in Syria on Dec. 19 with Jordanian partners using fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and artillery to attack more than 70 ISIS targets, according to the release.
“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post following the Dec. 19 strike.
The U.S. has maintained a military presence in Syria for more than a decade, primarily as part of its anti-ISIS mission. Although the group was territorially defeated in 2019, pockets of ISIS fighters and sympathizers in the country still pose a threat to American and regional security, military officials say.
About 1,000 U.S. troops remain in Syria, working alongside Kurdish partners in the Syrian Democratic Forces and the newly installed government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
ISIS has inspired at least 11 plots or attacks against targets in the United States this year, according to CENTCOM. In response, the command and its Syrian partners have conducted operations that resulted in more than 300 terrorists being detained and more than 20 killed, the command said in the Tuesday statement.
“Continuing to hunt down terrorist operatives, eliminate ISIS networks, and work with partners to prevent an ISIS resurgence makes America, the region, and the world safer,” Cooper said.
