US CENTCOM chief tours occupation bases in Syria, meets Iraqi leaders
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Gen. Kurilla travels to Syria, later stopping in Baghdad and holding high-level talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, among others.
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US soldiers inspect the site of reported Turkish shelling days earlier on an oil extraction facility on the outskirts of Rmeilan in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeastern Hasakeh province on October 28, 2024. (AFP)
US CENTCOM on Tuesday said in a post on X that Commander General Michael "Erik" Kurilla visited Syria and Iraq to assess its purported operations against ISIS and bolster regional security cooperation.
Visit to Syria
According to the statement, Kurilla toured several US bases in Syria on December 10, meeting with American servicemembers and leaders from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
"[Gen. Kurilla] received a firsthand assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation," CENTCOM noted. The post reaffirmed the command’s "commitment to the enduring defeat of ISIS."
Discussions in Iraq
After his visit to Syria, Gen. Kurilla traveled to Baghdad, where he held high-level talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Chief of Staff Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, and Iraqi Joint Operations Deputy Commander Gen. Qais al-Muhammadawi.
The discussions reportedly focused on "strengthening bilateral cooperation and regional security, the rapidly changing situation in Syria, as well as the defeat-ISIS operations in Iraq," according to the statement.
Additionally, Gen. Kurilla met with Major General Kevin Leahy, Commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), to evaluate the defeat-ISIS mission in Iraq and Syria.
"We remain dedicated to the enduring defeat of ISIS and committed to the security of our partners that neighbor Syria—including Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel," Gen. Kurilla said.
Read more: Iraqi PM marks Victory Day over ISIS, calls for unity among Iraqis
Looming threat
Earlier today, member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council and former IRGC Commander, Mohsen Rezaei, warned that "terrorists are preparing to launch attacks on Iraq."
He stated that 11,000 ISIS militants have been trained at a US military camp in northern Syria, raising concerns that they may target Iraqi cities such as Mosul or Tikrit in the coming months.
In related comments, Rezaei reported that "Israel" had struck 250 military sites and infrastructure targets in Syria within the past 24 hours, while accusing the US and militants of destroying all military sites in the country.
He further suggested that the recent developments in Lebanon, Syria, and potentially Iraq reflect the enemies' growing fear of the region's independence and their efforts to weaken its populations.
