The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Sunday (November 30th) that American forces, in cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Interior, launched a joint operation in the southern Rif Dimashq Province of Syria from November 24th to 27th, successfully locating and destroying over 15 ISIS weapon hideouts. This operation, following recent strengthening of cooperation, is aimed at weakening the residual strength of the extremist organization.
According to the US military statement, the American forces participating in this mission were coordinated by the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), working together with Syrian security forces to identify and destroy the targets.
The operation resulted in the destruction of over 130 mortar and rocket launchers, multiple assault rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, and key materials used in the manufacturing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Illegal drugs were also discovered and destroyed at some locations.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, emphasized that the operation ensures that the gains made in suppressing ISIS by the coalition forces won’t be reversed, helping prevent the organization from regaining a foothold in the region or exporting terror attacks to the US mainland and other areas.
ISIS once controlled large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq but lost its final stronghold in 2019 under the US-led coalition strikes. Despite lacking traditional military capability, its core members continue to operate in small cells in certain areas of Syria.
Facing the dispersed and clandestine operations of ISIS, Admiral Cooper stressed that the US military and partner forces will maintain a high level of vigilance, stating, “We will continue to actively pursue ISIS remnants in Syria.”
The joint operational action in southern Syria is seen by the US military as an important step in weakening ISIS’s resurgence capabilities. The US also noted that recent coordination with the Syrian government in counterterrorism efforts demonstrates shared interests at this stage, with hopes of continuing concrete cooperation results.
This operation comes at a significant turning point in US-Syria relations. President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on November 10th in Washington, DC.
Sharaa, who led the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) previously designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US in 2018, was removed from the blacklist earlier this year, facilitating contacts between his new government and Washington.
One of Sharaa’s key demands during the meeting was to urge the US to lift the most stringent sanctions of the Caesar Act. The US Treasury Department announced the extension of the suspension of Caesar Act sanctions implementation for 180 days during the talks but emphasized that the final abolition would require a decision by Congress.
On the same day, the Syrian government officially signed documents to join the “Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS,” led by the US and comprised of 89 members. This alliance serves as a multinational cooperation platform covering military, intelligence, financial, cyber security, anti-extremism propaganda, and humanitarian aid, with the goal of comprehensively containing ISIS’s residual strength.
The Syrian side stated that prior to Sharaa’s visit to the White House, the country had carried out preemptive clearance operations in multiple locations nationwide to combat the lurking ISIS cells.
(This article references reports from Reuters)