US Military Carries Out Three Raids Against ISIS in Syria
Six ISIS operatives, including a senior official involved in the planning and facilitating ISIS attacks in Syria, were detained.
The Pentagon announced Tuesday that US forces conducted their second operation against ISIS militants in Syria over the last week, capturing six terrorists, including a senior official.
According to a statement from the US Central Command, three helicopter raids were carried out in eastern Syria over the last 48 hours.
Six ISIS operatives, including a senior official involved in the planning and facilitating ISIS attacks in Syria, were detained.
No US troops were injured, according to initial assessments, and no civilians were killed or injured.
This comes after the Dec. 11 raid by US helicopters against ISIS officials. After that operation, which killed two ISIS operatives, CENTCOM said their elimination would disrupt the terrorist group’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East.
This week’s raids were carried out in coordination with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which reaffirms CENTCOM’s “steadfast commitment to the region,” CENTCOM chief Gen. Erik Kurilla said in a statement.
Joint patrols between US and SDF forces were temporarily halted in recent weeks after Turkish airstrikes endangered American troops. But last week, the Pentagon announced that joint anti-ISIS patrols had resumed on Dec. 9.
US officials warned Turkey against further endangering US troops and their SDF partners, which Turkey has accused of being terrorists. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch a ground operation inside Syria to fight against Kurdish fighters.
“The capture of these ISIS operatives will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks,” Gen. Kurilla said on Tuesday.
In October, US forces conducted two strikes against ISIS targets, killing three senior officials.
