The US and Jordanian strikes on ISIS in Syria are essential. They have been the largest of their kind since last December, when America also carried out wide-range attacks on the terrorist group as Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed.
US Central Command said that the strikes were part of “Operation Hawkeye,” the name for this round of attacks on ISIS.
CENTCOM further said it had hit 70 targets in numerous locations using various types of munitions and warplanes. It also used helicopters and precision artillery. The Jordanian Armed Forces supported the strikes with fighter aircraft, CENTCOM said.
The airstrikes apparently targeted Islamic State “infrastructure and weapons sites.”
ISIS is much weaker in Syria compared to how it was in the past. It has up to 2,000 fighters, but it does not hold any territory. The terrorist network operates within cells – it is unclear how many of these cells are pathogenic. That means it is unclear if the strikes will actually damage ISIS much, because the group is so weak.
What was the goal of US, Jordan's operation against ISIS?
The goal of the operation was to respond to the killing of two American soldiers and an interpreter near Palmyra last weekend. The US forces were meeting Syrian colleagues when they were attacked. America has blamed ISIS for the attack.
In the wake of the strikes, there have been raids by the new Syrian government targeting ISIS. Iraq has also carried out anti-ISIS operations.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria praised the recent US round of strikes. They clearly give the US a chance to show off the firepower that the US-led coalition against ISIS has in the region. This includes various types of aircraft, such as F-15s, Apache helicopters, A-10s, and precision artillery.
The head of US Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, praised the move, saying that the operation was “critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring plots and attacks against the US homeland.”
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region,” he added.
The US says it has conducted 80 operations in the last six months, detaining around 100 suspects and also killing ISIS members. Overall, it is clear that ISIS does not have a lot of fighters, but it can still carry out deadly attacks.
America carried out the strikes to signal its readiness to respond. That also provides an opportunity for America to work with Jordan and coordinate with Syrians and the SDF on the ground. This shows the US is committed to Syria at a crucial juncture in the country’s history. It comes as the US Congress has ended sanctions on Syria.
The SDF is expected to integrate into the new Syrian security forces. America may facilitate this process; demonstrating US air power over Syria is a way to reassure all parties that the US is here to stay, at least for now.