The US launched “dozens of precision airstrikes” in Syria on Sunday after rebels ousted former despotic leader Bashar al-Assad.
According to US Central Command, the attacks were carried out against known ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria.
The aim of this ongoing operation was to prevent ISIS from taking advantage of the chaos and reorganizing after their attempt at statehood collapsed in 2019, the Pentagon said.
The US military has hit 75 targets with fighter jets, including B-52s, F-15s and A-10s. So far there is no indication that civilian lives have been lost.
“There should be no doubt: we will not allow ISIS to recreate the current situation in Syria and take advantage of it,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they collaborate with or support ISIS in any way.”
This comes after newly elected President Donald Trump said the US should not get involved in the civil war in Syria.
The war is raging between the Syrian government and several rebel groups, some of which are backed by the United States.
Opposition fighters who have been fighting to oust al-Assad since March 2012 first took over Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.
In the photo: a Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle taking off. This is a type of aircraft that was used in the attacks on ISIS terrorists on Sunday
This weekend they stormed into the capital Damascus largely unopposed. They then streamed into al-Assad’s presidential palace and declared the country free of the ‘tyrant’.
It has now been confirmed that al-Assad and his family have fled to Russia, a close ally of the war-torn country. The news initially came from Russian state media citing a Kremlin source, but was later confirmed by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
Fomin, who said al-Assad was granted asylum in Russia, did not indicate the deposed leader’s exact location.