Coalition Partner Forces Kill More than 20 ISIS Terrorists in Southern Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 14, 2017 — Coalition-partnered forces in southern Syria killed more than 20 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists near At-Tanf, yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said today.

A number of ISIS terrorists were detained in the engagement, including foreign terrorists, officials said.

The Maghawir al-Thawra, a vetted Syrian opposition force, has been fighting ISIS in the tri-border area of Iraq, Syria, and Jordan since 2015, according to officials.

Weakened ISIS Still Presents a Threat

Coalition and partner forces in Syria have weakened ISIS, but the increasingly desperate terrorists continue to present a threat to the civilian population, said Army Brig. Gen. Jonathan Braga, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve’s director of operations.

The ISIS terrorists freely moved through an area controlled by pro-Syrian regime forces, officials said. This is the second time in less than a month that convoys of ISIS terrorists, fleeing the middle Euphrates River valley, transited through regime-controlled territory. The Maghawir al-Thawra, supported by coalition forces, detected the enemy convoy during the predawn hours yesterday and quickly and professionally conducted an operation to prevent their further incursion.

Despite the presence of Russian-backed, pro-Syrian regime forces in the area, ISIS still finds ways to move freely through regime lines and pose a threat, Braga said. The coalition will continue to work with its partners, he added, to deny ISIS the ability to regroup and reorganize.