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Jordan confirmed on Saturday that its air force had taken part in the strikes launched by the United States Islamic State The group targeted targets in Syria in retaliation for the killing of three American citizens earlier this month.
The United States launched military strikes on Friday in several locations in Syria to “eliminate” Islamic State group fighters and weapons in response to a Syrian gunman attack nearly a week ago that killed two American soldiers and an American civilian interpreter.
The Jordanian military said in a statement that its air force “took part in precision air strikes targeting several ISIS positions in southern Syria,” using a different acronym for the Islamic State group. Jordan is one of 90 countries forming a global coalition against IS, which Syria recently joined.
The US military did not say how many people were killed in Friday’s attacks. Syrian Observatory for Human RightsThe Britain-based war monitor said at least five people, including IS cell leaders and members, were killed.
The Jordanian statement said the operation aims to “prevent extremist groups from exploiting these areas as launching pads to threaten the security of Syria’s neighbors and the wider region, especially after ISIS regroups and rebuilds its capabilities in southern Syria.”
US Central Command, which oversees the region, said in a statement that its forces “attacked more than 70 targets in multiple locations across central Syria with fighter aircraft, combat helicopters and artillery,” adding that the Jordanian Air Force supported the fighters.
It said that since the Dec. 13 attacks in Syria, “US and partner forces have conducted 10 operations in Syria.” Iraq resulting in the death or detention of 23 terrorist operatives,” he said, adding that the US and its partners have conducted more than 80 counterterrorism operations in Syria over the past six months.
chairman donald trump He promised a “very serious response” after the shootings in the Syrian desert, which he blamed on IS. Those killed were among hundreds of US troops deployed as part of the coalition fighting the terrorist group in eastern Syria. On Friday, Trump reiterated his support for Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom Trump said is “fully in support” of U.S. strikes against IS.
IS has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on US service members, but the group has claimed two attacks on Syrian security forces, one of which killed four Syrian soldiers in Idlib province. The group described al-Shara’a’s government and military as “apostates” in its statements. While al-Sharaa once led an al-Qaeda-linked group, it has had a long-standing feud with IS.
As well as killing the three US citizens, three other US soldiers as well as members of Syrian security forces were wounded and the gunman was killed in the shooting near Palmyra.
Syrian officials have said the attacker joined Syria’s internal security forces as a base security guard two months ago and was recently reassigned while he was under investigation on suspicion of IS affiliation.
The man stormed a meeting between American and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards.