U.S. and partner forces in Syria have stepped up raids and weapons-cache seizures aimed at preventing the Islamic State from rebuilding and threatening Americans, U.S. Central Command stated on Wednesday.
CENTCOM said it has “conducted nearly 80 operations since July to eliminate terrorist operatives, including ISIS remnants, that posed a direct threat to the United States and interests abroad.”
According to the command, its operations in response to 11 ISIS-inspired plots or attacks against targets in the United States over the past year have resulted in 119 terrorists detained and 14 killed over the last six months.
In one highlighted operation, CENTCOM said a September raid in Syria resulted in the death of Omar Abdul Qader, a senior ISIS operative who actively sought to attack the United States.
“Operations in Syria are critical for preventing ISIS from regenerating and posing a significant threat,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM’s commander. “We will root out and eliminate terrorist jihadists wherever they hide.”
CENTCOM stated that, in November, U.S. military personnel partnered with the Syrian Ministry of Interior in locating and destroying more than 15 sites in southern Syria that contained ISIS weapons caches, including over 130 mortars and rockets, multiple rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines and materials for building improvised explosive devices.
“We have now had multiple instances of collaboration with the Syrian government to counter specific ISIS threats,” Cooper said. “These are the types of tangible security gains we can make on the ground through close cooperation with Syrian government forces.”
