The U.S. military announced Sunday that recent airstrikes in Syria have killed 37 militants affiliated with the Islamic State group and an al-Qaeda-linked organization, including two senior leaders.
U.S. Central Command reported two separate operations. The first, conducted on Tuesday in northwestern Syria, targeted a senior militant from the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen group and eight others. The military stated that the targeted individual was responsible for overseeing military operations.
In a separate strike on September 16, U.S. forces carried out what they described as a “large-scale airstrike” on an Islamic State training camp in an undisclosed location in central Syria. This operation resulted in the deaths of 28 militants, including “at least four Syrian leaders,” according to the military statement.
“The airstrike will disrupt ISIS’ capability to conduct operations against U.S. interests, as well as our allies and partners,” the statement read, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
These operations underscore the ongoing U.S. military presence in Syria, where approximately 900 American forces, along with an undisclosed number of contractors, remain deployed. Their primary mission is to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group, which seized control of large areas in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
U.S. forces continue to advise and assist the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, their key allies in northeastern Syria. This region is strategically significant, bordering areas where Iran-backed militant groups maintain a presence, including a crucial border crossing with Iraq.
