Damascus [Syria], February 15 : 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 ongoing campaign against the remnants of the extremist group following a deadly ambush that killed two American service members and a US civilian interpreter late last year, reported Al Jazeera.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces conducted 10 airstrikes on more than 30 ISIL targets between February 3 and February 12, striking the group's infrastructure and weapons storage facilities with precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft and unmanned drones. The military said the operations were intended to "sustain relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network".
The strikes form part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was 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, an American civilian interpreter, reported Al Jazeera.
CENTCOM officials said that more than 50 ISIL fighters have been killed or captured and around 100 ISIL infrastructure targets hit since the operation began, demonstrating Washington's commitment to degrading the group's capabilities.
The US strikes against ISIL 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 US troops in the fight against ISIL.
Damascus has since asserted greater control over former opposition-held areas, while Washington reassesses the strategic role of its forces in the country.
In a related development, the US military completed the transfer of thousands of ISIL detainees from Syria to Iraq for prosecution at Baghdad's request, a move welcomed by the US-led coalition that has fought ISIL for years. Washington says the transfer will help prevent potential escapes amid ongoing conflict and weaken the group's networks.
Regional dynamics are also shifting. The long-standing US alliance with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been reconfigured as Damascus seeks to reintegrate former SDF fighters into its central army. Washington has signalled that the purpose of its alliance with the Kurdish forces is largely over, even as it continues to coordinate against ISIL threats.
Despite ISIL's loss of territorial control more than half a decade ago, the group remains capable of launching lethal attacks and operating clandestinely. US officials say maintaining pressure through sustained military operations is necessary to prevent the extremist organisation from regrouping and mounting further assaults on US forces, partners and regional stability.
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