After toppling of Assad, US airstrikes on ISIS camps hidden in Syria

Airstrikes were launched by the United States over the ISIS camps in Syria, said the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in a statement.

The operation included “dozens of precision airstrikes” and more than 75 targets were hit using Air Force assets like B-52s, F-15s and A-10s in central Syria.

“The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade and defeat ISIS, in order to prevent the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria,” read the CENTCOM’s statement.

CENTCOM said that they are carrying out damage assessments and there are no indications of any civilians getting killed in the operations.

CENTCOM further said that it, along with partners and regional allies, will continue its operations to weaken the operational capabilities of ISIS during this “dynamic period in Syria.”

“There should be no doubt – we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla. “All organisations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way,” he added.

The Syrian government fell on Sunday (Dec 8) and President Bashar Assad was toppled from his position which marked the end of his family’s 50-year rule after the rebels stormed inside the capital.

Assad, along with his family, fled to Russia, where they were provided asylum. In the wake of the incidents, US President Joe Biden confirmed that the country will continue carrying out anti-ISIS operations. 

He said that the fall of Assad was a “fundamental act of justice” and added that the current phase was full of “risk and uncertainty.”

Watch: Syria Civil War: Rebels Seize Control Of Damascus As Assad Flees To Russia 

In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the people of Syria “finally have a reason for hope,” and added that the US “strongly supports a peaceful transition of power to an accountable Syrian government”.

“The Assad regime’s refusal since 2011 to engage in a credible political process and its reliance on the brutal support of Russia and Iran led inevitably to its own collapse,” said Blinken. 

“During this transitional period, the Syrian people have every right to demand the preservation of state institutions, the resumption of key services, and the protection of vulnerable communities,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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