The US military carried out strikes on more than 70 Islamic State group targets in Syria on Friday. The US president described the action as a “very serious retaliation” following an attack last weekend that killed three Americans.
According to Washington, the attack in the city of Palmyra was carried out by a lone assailant. Palmyra is famous for its UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and was previously under the control of jihadist fighters. Two US soldiers and one US civilian were killed in the attack.
In response, US Central Command said the American military “conducted strikes against more than 70 targets across various locations in Syria using warplanes, attack helicopters, and artillery.” Central Command added that “more than 100 precision-guided munitions were used in the operation, targeting terrorist infrastructure and weapons depots.”
Writing on his social media platform, the president said, “America is carrying out a serious retaliation against those terrorists responsible.” Central Command said that following the Palmyra attack, US and partner forces carried out 10 operations in Syria and Iraq, in which 23 terrorists were killed or captured.
Although Syria’s Foreign Ministry did not directly comment on Friday’s strikes, it posted on social media saying the country is committed to fighting terrorist groups and will continue operations to ensure that “there is no safe haven in Syria.”
Those killed in the Palmyra attack were Sergeant William Howard and Edgar Torres Tovar of the Iowa National Guard, and Michigan resident Ayad Mansour Sakat, who was working as a translator.
This was the first such incident since the ouster of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad. According to Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba, the attacker was a member of the security forces and was in the process of being dismissed due to his extremist Islamist views. US military personnel were assisting in “counterterrorism operations” against IS.
In 2014, IS seized large areas of Syria and Iraq. Although the jihadists were eventually defeated by local ground forces with the support of international airstrikes, IS remains active in Syria. US troops are currently deployed in Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria and at al-Tanf near the Jordanian border.
