US claims to have killed IS leader in Syria in new strike

The US Central Command announced on December 20 that US forces had killed a leader of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

The attack took place in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor on December 19, killing IS leader "Abu Yusif" and another IS member, according to AFP citing a statement from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on social media. CENTCOM did not provide further details about the two men.

"This airstrike is part of CENTCOM's commitment, along with regional partners, to disrupt and degrade terrorists' efforts to plan, organize and conduct attacks," CENTCOM stressed.

US doubles troops stationed in Syria

The new attack “was conducted in an area previously controlled by the Syrian regime and Russia,” according to CENTCOM.

The US has carried out periodic air strikes and raids for years to prevent IS from resurging, but has carried out dozens of airstrikes since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime was ousted by an opposition coalition on December 8.

US soldiers take up patrol position near an oil field in the al-Qahtaniyah area in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on June 14, 2023.

On December 8, Washington announced strikes on more than 75 IS targets, which CENTCOM said were aimed at ensuring IS "does not seek to exploit the current situation to re-establish its forces in central Syria."

By December 16, CENTCOM announced that US forces had killed 12 IS members in airstrikes that they claimed were carried out in areas once controlled by the al-Assad government and Russian forces.

The announcement of the latest air strikes came a day after the Pentagon said it was more than doubling the number of US troops in Syria to 2,000 this year as part of the fight against IS.

For years, the US has said it has about 900 troops in Syria as part of international efforts against IS, which seized swathes of territory there and in neighboring Iraq before being defeated by local forces with the help of a US-led air campaign.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-tuyen-bo-tieu-diet-thu-linh-is-o-syria-trong-cuoc-tan-cong-moi-185241220223716426.htm