US airstrikes target ISIS camps, operatives in central Syria: CENTCOM
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CENTCOM says US forces carried out over 75 airstrikes against ISIS camps in central Syria to degrade the group's capabilities and prevent its resurgence amid regional instability.
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The seal for the US Central Command is displayed on February 6, 2017, at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., United States of America. (AP)
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), in a statement, announced that on December 8, it carried out dozens of precision airstrikes against ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria.
The attacks, as claimed by the statement, targeted over 75 sites "using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s" to disrupt and degrade, "together with allies and partners in the region," ISIS capabilities and prevent the group from reconstituting amid the ongoing instability.
CENTCOM confirmed that no civilian casualties have been reported. CENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla emphasized, "We will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria," adding that "all organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way."
𝐔.𝐒. 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐚
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 8, 2024
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted dozens of precision airstrikes targeting known ISIS camps and… pic.twitter.com/E7CUPuPehf
US State Dep. urges 'political settlement' in Syria
A spokesperson for the United States Department of State said on Friday it is time to negotiate an end to the crisis in Syria via the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2254, which calls for a political settlement.
The spokesperson also said that Washington continues to urge its allies and partners to protect civilians, including minorities in Syria, describing Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a foreign terror organization.
Meanwhile, Syria, Iran, and Iraq, represented by their foreign ministers, held a press conference in Baghdad, following a scheduled tripartite meeting, primarily to discuss the recent crisis in Syria.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced that Iraq plans to summon a number of countries to discuss the Syrian crisis, affirming that efforts with his Iranian and Syrian counterparts continue to organize and cooperate on diplomatic initiatives regarding the matter.
Hussein also announced that Iraq would call for a League of Arab States ministerial meeting, declaring that all diplomatic efforts would be activated to resolve the Syrian crisis.
The Turkish, Saudi, Jordanian, Emirati, and Egyptian foreign ministers were also contacted, according to Hussein, to reach compromises with these countries' representatives, some of whom are members of the Astana process.
On his part, Bassam al-Sabbagh, Syria's foreign minister, outlined the aspects of regional and international interference in what is happening in Syria, stressing that they are "exposed and transparent," and further warned that they aim to create a new division in the region and redraw its political map."
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbass Araghchi confirmed that the primary objective of the meeting was to "support Syria, its government and people, in confronting terrorist groups."
Araghchi expanded, saying the meeting aimed at reiterating that threats of armed groups would not be confined to Syria, but would impact all countries in the region. "If we want to protect our security, we must defend the security of neighboring countries and help confront the phenomenon of terrorism," he declared.
Read more: Biden closely monitoring ‘extraordinary developments’ in Syria: WH
