US armed forces have partnered with the Syrian government to combat ISIS on multiple occasions, according to a US Central Command (CENTCOM) statement released on Wednesday.
“Operations in Syria are critical for preventing ISIS from regenerating and posing a significant threat. We will root out and eliminate terrorist jihadists wherever they hide,” said CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper. “We have now had multiple instances of collaboration with the Syrian government to counter specific ISIS threats.”
In November, US military forces from the US task force dedicated to taking down ISIS partnered with the Syrian Ministry of Interior in locating and destroying more than 15 weapon caches in southern Syria, the CENTCOM release stated.
The operation destroyed over 130 mortars and rockets, multiple rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, and materials for building improvised explosive devices.
US and partner forces targeted specific ISIS leaders
CENTCOM has also conducted operations targeting specific ISIS terrorists. US forces killed senior ISIS leader Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani in a raid in July and killed a well-known terrorist, Omar Abdul Qader, in a raid in September.
In the last six months, US and partner forces have conducted nearly 80 operations to eliminate terrorist threats in Syria, resulting in 119 terrorists detained and 14 killed, according to the CENTCOM statement.
“We will continue to work closely with our Syrian partners to hunt down ISIS networks and prevent their resurgence,” Cooper said.