Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Dec 20: The United States on Friday launched airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State (IS) targets across central Syria in retaliation for a deadly attack that killed US personnel, American officials said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the strikes targeted “ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” as part of an operation named Operation Hawkeye Strike. He indicated that further action could follow.
“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said in a statement and on social media. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.”
Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes hit dozens of IS positions across central Syria. An official told The Associated Press that the operation involved F-15 Eagle fighter jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters. The Pentagon declined to share additional operational details, referring queries to Hegseth’s statement.
The airstrikes came days after an attack in the Syrian desert near Palmyra, in which two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed, while three other soldiers were wounded. According to the US military, the attacker targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead.
The US Army identified the slain soldiers as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, both members of the Iowa National Guard. The civilian interpreter killed in the attack was Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan.
The Syrian Interior Ministry described the attacker as a member of Syria’s security forces suspected of sympathising with the Islamic State.
President Donald Trump had earlier vowed “very serious retaliation” following the attack, while noting that Syrian forces were fighting alongside US troops. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said the president was fulfilling that commitment.
“President Trump told the world that the United States would retaliate for the killing of our heroes by ISIS in Syria, and he is delivering on that promise,” she said.