US military says killed 37 militants in separate Syria strikes

WASHINGTON: US forces conducted two separate strikes in Syria, killing 37 “terrorist operatives” including members of the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din, the military´s Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday.

A September 24 strike in northwest Syria killed nine “terrorist operatives,” including senior Hurras al-Din leader Marwan Bassam ´Abd-al-Ra´uf, the US military said.

A September 16 strike in central Syria targeted an IS training camp and killed at least 28 people, including four senior leaders, the statement said. It did not identify the leaders.

The US military has around 900 troops in Syria as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group. The coalition was established in 2014 to help combat the armed group, which had taken over vast swaths of Iraq and Syria.

“These strikes against leadership and operatives of ISIS and the al-Qaeda affiliate, Hurras al-Din, represent CENTCOM´s commitment to the enduring defeat of terrorist organizations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility and our support to regional stability,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM´s commander.

Anti-IS coalition forces have been targeted dozens of times with drones and rocket fire in both Iraq and Syria, as violence has drawn in armed groups across the Middle East. US forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes against militant factions in both countries.

In August, US forces killed another Hurras al-Din leader, Abu Abdul Rahman al-Makki, in a strike in Syria.