US Central Command says it struck greater than 75 targets to make sure armed group doesn’t exploit finish of Syrian chief’s rule.
America 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) stated 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 reap the benefits of the tip of al-Assad’s rule.
CENTCOM stated it was finishing up injury 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 needs to be little doubt – we won’t enable ISIS to reconstitute and reap the benefits of the present scenario in Syria,” CENTCOM Commander Normal Michael Erik Kurilla stated in an announcement.
“All organizations in Syria ought to know that we are going to maintain them accountable in the event that they companion with or help ISIS in any approach.”
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 tackle from the White Home, Biden stated that al-Assad’s fall by the hands of insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was an opportunity for Syria’s long-suffering folks 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, america will work with our companions and the stakeholders in Syria to assist them seize a possibility to handle the danger,” Biden stated.
Looking for to say partial credit score for al-Assad’s downfall, Biden stated his demise had been made potential by a decline in help 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 help collapsed – all three of them – as a result of all three of them are far weaker right now than they have been once I took workplace,” Biden stated.
The sudden finish of 53 years of al-Assad household rule has solid 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 lowered by half throughout his first time period after being dissuaded in opposition to an entire withdrawal, on Saturday indicated that his administration wouldn’t get entangled in any battle within the nation.
“Syria is a large number, however just isn’t our pal,” 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 possibility to show Syria right into a “beacon for the Islamic nation” and the start of a “new historical past” for the area.
“God won’t fail you,” al-Julani stated in a victory speech on the symbolic Umayyad Mosque within the Syrian capital.
“This victory is for all Syrians; they have been all a part of this victory.”
