US military targets Islamic State fighters within Syria

The US military has confirmed that around 25 Islamic State (IS) militants have been either killed or captured following a series of attacks in Syria, according to Al Jazeera plus agencies on December 30th.

Al Jazeera suggested that the the US Central Command (CENTCOM) which oversees American military operations across the Middle East authorised the actions after the deaths of two US soldiers on December 13th.

Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard and Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres Tovar were both killed in an apparent ambush from the Islamic State. It has been reported that at least seven IS members were killed between December 20th and 29th, with the rest captured. Additionally, four weapons caches were also reported as being destroyed. As many as 2,000 American soldiers have been stationed across Syria during the fight against the IS, which began in 2014. But Donald Trump has asserted that the US military presence would be slashed in Syria.

The United States has sought to combat IS remnants that still remain active. US military forces have cooperated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast of the country since 2014 as part of efforts to eliminate the IS presence. Last month, Syria officially joined the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State. Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government has worked closely with the US, with al-Sharaa visiting the White House last month to discuss the strengthening of ties between both governments.

Following the attacks, CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper warned that the United States “will not relent” in hunting down the remaining pockets of IS activity in Syria. Since Assad’s fall, Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government has struggled to maintain stability in Syria, with outbreaks of sectarian violence and Israeli military activity in the disputed Golan Heights contributing to these challenges.

Al Jazeera plus agencies, Maghrebi.org