DAMASCUS, Syria, February 15 (ANI): The United States Army has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets in Syria, escalating its campaign against remnants of the extremist group following a deadly ambush late last year, Al Jazeera reported.
According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces conducted 10 airstrikes on more than 30 ISIL targets between February 3 and February 12. The strikes targeted the group’s infrastructure and weapons storage facilities using precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, and unmanned drones.
The military said the operations were aimed at sustaining “relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network.”
The strikes are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, launched in response to a December 13 ambush near the historic city of Palmyra that killed Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a U.S. civilian interpreter, Al Jazeera reported.
CENTCOM officials said more than 50 ISIL fighters have been killed or captured and approximately 100 ISIL infrastructure targets have been struck since the operation began, underscoring Washington’s stated objective of degrading the group’s capabilities.
The strikes come amid broader shifts in Syria’s conflict landscape. Syrian government forces recently reclaimed the al-Tanf military base in eastern Syria, a site long operated by U.S. troops in operations against ISIL. Damascus has since consolidated control over former opposition-held areas, while Washington reassesses the strategic role of its forces in the country.
In a related development, the U.S. military completed the transfer of thousands of ISIL detainees from Syria to Iraq for prosecution at Baghdad’s request. The move was welcomed by the U.S.-led coalition combating ISIL, with officials saying the transfer would help prevent potential escapes amid ongoing instability and weaken the group’s networks.
Regional dynamics are also evolving. The longstanding U.S. alliance with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has been reconfigured as Damascus seeks to reintegrate former SDF fighters into the central army. Washington has indicated that the primary objective of its partnership with Kurdish forces has largely concluded, even as coordination continues to address ISIL threats.
Although ISIL lost its territorial control more than five years ago, the group remains capable of carrying out lethal attacks and operating clandestinely. U.S. officials maintain that sustained military pressure is essential to prevent the extremist organization from regrouping and launching further attacks against U.S. forces, partners, and regional stability. (ANI)
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