US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper has said that the fight to prevent the resurgence of ISIS is continuing in Syria.
He was speaking after President Donald Trump paid tribute to two US soldiers and an interpreter killed by a gunman liked to the group by the Department of Defence. It came as the remains of the three Americans were returned to Delaware’s Dover Air Force Base.
Mr Trump vowed there would be “serious retaliation” following the attack on Saturday in Palmyra, Syria, that also wounded three other soldiers. Questions were mounting in Washington about America's role in Syria and its support of the new government.
Admiral Cooper said Centcom had detained 119 ISIS members and killed 14 of them in the last six months.
“Operations in Syria are critical for preventing ISIS from regenerating and posing a significant threat,” he said.
Four Syrians were killed in a separate attack in Idlib claimed by ISIS. Syrian authorities have also stepped up surveillance and seized rocket launchers bound for Lebanon.
The two attacks were the latest setback to President Ahmad Al Shara's effort to restore calm in Syria with American backing. Mr Al Shara has promised to join a US-led coalition to defeat the extremist group.
Admiral Cooper said Centcom had collaborated with the Syrian government to counter ISIS threats on several occasions. “These are the types of tangible security gains we can make on the ground through close co-operation with Syrian government forces,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, the US Senate voted to repeal the so-called Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, with the proposal included in the National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, signed into law in 2019, is aimed at members of the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad who were accused of war crimes and human rights abuses.
The repeal of the sanctions requires a review of the situation in Syria every 180 days over the course of four years to ensure that Damascus is taking appropriate action in areas including fighting ISIS, removing foreign fighters from government roles, and upholding religious and ethnic minority rights.
