US Intensifies Operations Against ISIS in Syria: Seven Killed, 18 Captured in Post-Strike Sweep
CENTCOM said US and partner forces killed at least seven ISIS members and captured nearly eighteen others in Syria following Dec. 19 strikes targeting over seventy ISIS sites.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - In the aftermath of a sweeping US-led air campaign across central Syria, American and partner forces intensified ground and air operations, killing and capturing ISIS operatives as part of what Washington described as an unrelenting effort to dismantle the group’s networks.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US and partner forces killed at least seven ISIS members in Syria and captured nearly eighteen others during a series of follow-up missions conducted between Dec. 20 and Dec. 29.
According to CENTCOM, the operations took place across Syria and involved eleven separate missions. In addition to the deaths and arrests, the missions resulted in the elimination of four ISIS weapons caches.
The actions followed the launch of Operation Hawkeye Strike on Dec. 19, a large-scale military operation in which US and Jordanian forces struck more than seventy targets across central Syria using over one hundred precision-guided munitions.
CENTCOM said the Dec. 19 operation was carried out by dozens of fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and artillery systems, and targeted ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites.
“We will not relent,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander of US Central Command. “We are steadfast in commitment to working with regional partners to root out the ISIS threat posed to US and regional security.”
CENTCOM further stated that during the past twelve months, US and partner forces in Syria conducted multiple operations that resulted in more than three hundred terrorists being detained and over twenty killed.
In 2025, ISIS inspired at least eleven plots or attacks targeting the United States, according to CENTCOM.
“Continuing to hunt down terrorist operatives, eliminate ISIS networks, and work with partners to prevent an ISIS resurgence makes America, the region, and the world safer,” Cooper added.
The Dec. 19 strikes were launched after a deadly ISIS attack near Palmyra earlier in December.
US officials say the latest operations underscore Washington’s continued focus on degrading ISIS capabilities in Syria through sustained military pressure and coordination with regional partners.