US Airstrikes Target ISIS Camps in Syria to Disrupt Extremist Attacks

Beirut: A series of US airstrikes targeted several camps run by the Islamic State group in Syria in an operation the US military said will disrupt the extremists from conducting attacks in the region and beyond.

The US Central Command stated that the airstrikes were conducted on Friday, without specifying the exact locations in Syria. Approximately 900 US troops have been deployed in eastern Syria alongside the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which played a crucial role in the fight against IS militants.

Despite their defeat, attacks by IS sleeper cells in Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past years, with scores of people killed or wounded.

The Islamic State group seized territory at the height of its power and declared a caliphate over large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014 but was defeated in Iraq in 2017. In March 2019, the extremists lost the last sliver of land they once controlled in eastern Syria.

US Military Goals and Impact Assessment

The US military indicated that the strikes would disrupt the ability of the Islamic State group to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against the United States, its allies and partners, and civilians throughout the region and beyond.

It was reported that battle damage assessments were underway and that there were no civilian casualties.

Last month, Iraq's military announced that Iraqi forces, along with American troops, killed a senior IS commander who was wanted by the United States, along with several other prominent militants.

At its peak, the group ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom, enforcing its extreme interpretation of Islam, which included attacks on religious minority groups and harsh punishments for Muslims deemed to be apostates.

(With Agencies inputs)