US kills four Iran-backed fighters in Syria strikes: CENTCOM

"CENTCOM forces struck at Iran-affiliated militants in the area with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777 artillery."

The logo of US Central Command (CENTCOM)
The logo of US Central Command (CENTCOM)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday in a new statement said that four fighters of Iran-backed groups were killed by the US military over the past 24 hours.

Earlier the US military said two or three suspected Iran-backed militants were killed in the strikes.

The US army said that in response to yesterday’s rocket attacks on the Mission Support Site Conoco and Mission Support Site Green Village in Deir ez-Zor, in which one US soldier was briefly injured.

The US army responded with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777 artillery.

This resulted “in four enemy fighters killed and seven enemy rocket launchers destroyed.”

“We will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our servicemembers,” said Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, said in the public statement.

“No group will strike at our troops with impunity. We will take all necessary measures to defend our people.”

Also on Tuesday, the US struck Iran-backed groups in eastern Syria in response to assaults in recent days on the Coalition helping partner forces to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

However, the US Undersecretary of Defense, Dr. Colin Kahl on Wednesday underlined the strikes “are not linked to wherever we end up on the nuclear deal.”

Read More: US won’t divulge response to EU on Iran nuclear deal, as exchanges on ‘final’ text continue

The current Biden administration is focused on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, despite the continued attacks by Iran-backed groups on the US-led coalition and its local partners in Iraq and Syria.