US Increases Military Actions Against ISIS Amid Ongoing Threats
Between December 20 and 29, CENTCOM and partner forces carried out 11 missions that resulted in the killing of at least seven ISIS members and the capture of the remainder. Since a significant strike on December 19 in Syria, nearly 25 ISIS figures have been terminated or captured. These operations also led to the elimination of four ISIS weapons caches.
Operation Hawkeye Strike, which began on December 19, involved US and Jordanian forces striking over 70 targets with more than 100 precision munitions. The operation utilized fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and artillery to destroy ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria.
Over the past 12 months, CENTCOM reported detaining more than 300 terrorists and killing more than 20 in Syria. This year has also seen at least 11 plots or attacks against targets in the United States inspired by ISIS.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper emphasized that the US will not relent in its efforts to hunt terrorists and prevent an ISIS resurgence to make the region and the world safer.
Earlier this month, two Iowa Army National Guard soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria: Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines; Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown; and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, 54.
