US Central Command reports 22 anti-ISIS operations in Syria as coalition urges detainee repatriation

ANKARA

US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces supported more than 22 operations against ISIS (Daesh) in Syria over the past month, killing five members of the group and capturing 19, according to a statement released Wednesday.

The missions, conducted between Oct. 1 and Nov. 6 by Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in coordination with Syrian partners, targeted remaining ISIS cells and aimed to limit the group’s ability to carry out attacks locally and abroad, the statement said.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said the operations represent “a notable achievement” and vowed continued pressure on ISIS remnants.

“We will continue to aggressively pursue ISIS remnants in Syria,” he said, adding that the US remains committed to ensuring the group cannot “regenerate or export terrorist attacks to other countries.”

The update came after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced Monday that his country had joined the Global Coalition Against ISIS as its 90th member.

Cooper also urged countries to repatriate detained ISIS members and displaced civilians from northeast Syria, warning that extended detention increases the risk of radicalization. Camps such as al-Hol and al-Roj once held about 70,000 people at their peak in 2019, but the number has since dropped below 30,000, the statement added.

“Repatriating vulnerable populations before they are radicalized is not just compassion -- it is a decisive blow against ISIS’s ability to ever regenerate,” Cooper said.