SOUTHWEST ASIA, Jan. 23, 2018 — Precision strikes killed an
estimated 145-150 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists near Shafah,
Syria, Jan. 20, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials
reported today.
The precision strikes were a culmination of extensive
intelligence preparation to confirm an ISIS headquarters and
command-and-control center in an exclusively ISIS-occupied location in the
contested Middle Euphrates River valley, officials said.
Syrian Democratic Forces on the ground, who continue to be
engaged in heavy fighting against hard-core ISIS remnants attempting to
regroup, assisted in target observation prior to the strikes, according to
officials. The combination of intelligence and continuous eyes on the target
ensured no accidental engagement of nonmilitary personnel.
Heavy Concentration of ISIS Fighters
The ISIS headquarters contained a heavy concentration of
ISIS fighters who appear to have been massing for movement.
“The strikes underscore our assertion that the fight to
liberate Syria is far from over,” said Army Maj. Gen. James B. Jarrard,
commanding general of Special Operations Joint Task Force Operation Inherent
Resolve.
“Our SDF partners are still making daily progress and
sacrifices, and together we are still finding, targeting and killing ISIS
terrorists’ intent on keeping their extremist hold on the region. We cannot
take our focus off our mission, and we must not lose our momentum in taking
these terrorists off the battlefield and preventing them from resurfacing
somewhere else,” Jarrard said.
Though ISIS has lost more than 98 percent of the land it
once claimed as part of its so-called physical caliphate, the group continues
to demonstrate the ability to mass large numbers in its attempt to retain a
stronghold in Syria, officials said.
The continued discovery of ISIS concentrations and
facilities reinforces the coalition’s commitment to achieving the lasting
defeat of ISIS, according to officials.
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