US drones were unleashed on more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria amid the growing threat posed by the terrorist group.
Weapons storage facilities and other infrastructure were hit in 10 attacks between February 3 and Thursday.
One of the strikes carried out by the US Central CommandCredit: x/US Central Command
30 ISIS targets were hitCredit: x/US Central Command
Fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft were deployedCredit: x/US Central Command
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that they are part of its campaign to maintain “relentless military pressure” on what remains of the network.
“US forces struck ISIS infrastructure and weapons storage targets with precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft,” a statement added.
“CENTCOM forces previously conducted five strikes against an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities, January 27 – February 2.”
More than 50 IS terrorists have been killed or captured and more than 100 ISIS targets have been hit “during two months of targeted operations,” it added.
CENTCOM released several images showing the moment of the assaults at undisclosed locations.
What is left of the weapons storage facilities – and what was inside them – is still unclear.
The strikes were launched in response to a December 13 ambush on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra.
Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed by a suspected ISIS member.
It is many years since the terrorist group held sway over much of Syria and northern Iraq – but numbers of militants have been rising, posing a major threat to the newly-established government in Damascus.
Last year, it was estimated that there are around 2,500 ISIS members in Syria.
Under the presidency of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the government has partnered with US forces to rid of the monster group that plagued the country.
On Thursday, the Syrian Defence Ministry said that its forces had taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by US troops as part of the fight against ISIS.
The Al-Tanf base played a major role after ISIS declared a caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014.
The US military also completed the transfer of 5,700 ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq, where they are expected to stand trial.
Most of the suspects are Syrian or Iraqi, though there were other foreign nationals from Europe as well as Australia, Canada and the US among other countries.
The move – at the request of Iraq – was welcomed by the US-led coalition that had for years fought against ISIS.
“We appreciate Iraq’s leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
The transfers have helped calm fears that the recent rounds of fighting in Syria would allow the IS prisoners to flee from detention camps there and join militant sleeper cells in the Middle East.
The White House said Donald Trump is committed to a Syria that is “stable, unified and at peace with itself and its neighbours.”
That requires Syria not being a base for terrorism or to pose a threat in the region and beyond, it added.
The US is monitoring the situation in Syria and working with all sides, the statement says, to ensure that “ISIS detainees remain in detention.”
Iraqi security forces lead suspected Islamic State militants for questioning, after they were transferred from SyriaCredit: AP
US military vehicles escort buses transporting Islamic State detainees from Syria to IraqCredit: Reuters
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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