18 Dec 2025 - 08:56
The Kabul Tribune (KT) - U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. forces have carried out multiple joint operations with Syrian authorities targeting ISIS positions and operatives in Syria, as part of efforts to prevent the group from rebuilding its capabilities.
In a statement, CENTCOM said the operations focused on destroying ISIS hideouts and weapons storage sites, which U.S. officials described as critical to stopping the group’s resurgence.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the operations in Syria play a key role in preventing ISIS
from reconstituting and again becoming a serious threat.
“We will root out and eliminate terrorist jihadists wherever they hide,” Cooper said.
According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have worked “multiple times” with Syrian government counterparts to counter specific ISIS threats.
The statement said that in November, U.S. forces from a specialized task unit working with partner forces cooperated with Syria’s Ministry of Interior to locate and destroy more than 15 ISIS weapons caches in southern Syria.
The operation destroyed more than 130 mortars and rockets, as well as rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, and materials used to build improvised explosive devices.
CENTCOM also said U.S. forces have carried out targeted operations against senior ISIS leaders. Senior ISIS commander Dhiya Zawba Muslih al-Hardani was killed in a July operation, while another senior operative, Omar Abdul Qader, was killed in September.
Overall, CENTCOM said U.S. and partner forces have conducted nearly 80 operations against terrorist threats in Syria over the past six months, resulting in the detention of 119 individuals and the killing of 14 ISIS members.
Admiral Cooper said the United States will continue close cooperation with Syrian partners to pursue ISIS networks and prevent the group’s return.
