US kills 2 Daesh/ISIS operatives in Syria

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Monday that its forces killed two Daesh/ISIS operatives in Syria during an airstrike.

"On Dec. 23, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a precision airstrike in Dayr az Zawr Province, Syria, killing two ISIS operatives and wounding one," CENTCOM said on X.

"The terrorists were moving a truckload of weapons which were destroyed during the strike," it said, adding the strike occurred in an area formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russia.

Last week, the Pentagon announced that there are 2,000 US troops in Syria, more than double the number it had previously acknowledged.

Spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said that in addition to 900 baseline troops that were deployed to Syria on a longer-term basis to aid in counter-Daesh/ISIS operations, 1,100 US military personnel were sent on a "temporary" basis to help "meet shifting mission requirements" in the anti-Daesh/ISIS fight.