Jordan Confirms Role in U.S.-Led Airstrikes Against Islamic State in Syria
The U.S. military did not disclose casualty figures, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least five people were killed, including the leader and members of an ISIS cell.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Jordan confirmed on Saturday that its air force participated in U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria, carried out in retaliation for the killing of three U.S. citizens earlier this month.
The United States launched the strikes on Friday, targeting multiple locations across Syria with the stated aim of eliminating ISIS fighters and weapons. The operation followed a deadly attack by a Syrian gunman near Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian interpreter, and wounded several others.
In a statement, the Jordanian Armed Forces said Royal Jordanian Air Force jets took part in “precise airstrike targeting several ISIS positions in southern Syria,” using an alternative acronym for the group.
Jordan is a member of the U.S.-led global coalition against ISIS, which includes around 90 countries and which Syria has recently joined.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, with Jordanian fighter aircraft providing support.
The U.S. military did not disclose casualty figures, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least five people were killed, including the leader and members of an ISIS cell.
According to the Jordanian military, the operation was intended to prevent extremist groups from exploiting southern Syrian territory as a staging ground to threaten neighboring countries and the wider region, particularly amid signs that ISIS has regrouped and rebuilt capabilities in the area.
CENTCOM said that since the Dec. 13 attack, U.S. and partner forces have conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq, resulting in the deaths or detention of 23 suspected militants. It added that more than 80 counterterrorism operations have been carried out in Syria over the past six months.
President Donald Trump pledged “very serious retaliation” following the shooting, which he blamed on ISIS. On Friday, he reiterated U.S. support for Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, saying the Syrian leader was “fully in support” of the strikes against the militant group.
ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack on U.S. personnel but has since claimed two assaults on Syrian security forces, including one in Idlib province that killed four Syrian soldiers.
Syrian officials said the assailant in the Palmyra attack had joined Syria’s internal security forces two months earlier as a base security guard and was recently reassigned while under investigation over suspected ISIS links.
The gunman opened fire during a lunch meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials after clashing with Syrian guards, before being killed.