US Central Command says it struck greater than 75 targets to make sure armed group doesn’t exploit finish of Syrian chief’s rule.
The USA says it has carried out dozens of air strikes on ISIL (ISIS) targets in Syria following the stunning collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) mentioned on Sunday that it had struck greater than 75 targets, together with ISIL (ISIS) leaders, operatives and camps, to make sure that the armed group doesn’t benefit from the tip of al-Assad’s rule.
CENTCOM mentioned it was finishing up harm assessments following the strikes, which concerned warplanes together with the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, however there have been no indications of civilian casualties.
“There must be little doubt – we is not going to enable ISIS to reconstitute and benefit from the present scenario in Syria,” CENTCOM Commander Common Michael Erik Kurilla mentioned in an announcement.
“All organizations in Syria ought to know that we are going to maintain them accountable in the event that they associate with or assist ISIS in any manner.”
The strikes got here as outgoing US President Joe Biden described al-Assad’s fall as a “second of threat” and “historic alternative”.
In a televised deal with from the White Home, Biden mentioned that al-Assad’s fall by the hands of insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was an opportunity for Syria’s long-suffering individuals to “construct a greater future for his or her proud nation”.
“It’s additionally a second of threat and uncertainty. As all of us flip to the query of what comes subsequent, the US will work with our companions and the stakeholders in Syria to assist them seize a chance to handle the chance,” Biden mentioned.
Searching for to say partial credit score for al-Assad’s downfall, Biden mentioned his demise had been made potential by a decline in assist for his authorities from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah.
“For years, the primary backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah and Russia. However over the past week, their assist collapsed – all three of them – as a result of all three of them are far weaker immediately than they had been after I took workplace,” Biden mentioned.
The sudden finish of 53 years of al-Assad household rule has forged a pall of uncertainty over the safety scenario within the Center East, together with the presence of an estimated 900 US troops in Syria.
US President-elect Donald Trump, who ordered the variety of US troops in Syria to be diminished by half throughout his first time period after being dissuaded in opposition to an entire withdrawal, on Saturday indicated that his administration wouldn’t become involved in any battle within the nation.
“Syria is a large number, however shouldn’t be our buddy,” Trump wrote on Reality Social, earlier than switching to all uppercase letters for emphasis.
“THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
In his first public look since seizing Damascus, HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Julani, a former chief of the Syrian department of al-Qaeda, described al-Assad’s fall as a chance to show Syria right into a “beacon for the Islamic nation” and the start of a “new historical past” for the area.
“God is not going to fail you,” al-Julani mentioned in a victory speech on the symbolic Umayyad Mosque within the Syrian capital.
“This victory is for all Syrians; they had been all a part of this victory.”
