US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday that American and partner forces killed or captured nearly 25 ISIS terrorists in Syria during the days following a large-scale December 19 strike.
According to CENTCOM’s statement, US and allied troops carried out 11 missions between December 20 and 29, killing at least seven ISIS members and capturing the rest. The operations also resulted in the destruction of four ISIS weapons caches.
These missions followed Operation Hawkeye Strike, launched on December 19, when US and Jordanian forces hit more than 70 ISIS targets in central Syria using over 100 precision munitions. The massive coordinated strike involved dozens of fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery units that destroyed terrorist infrastructure and weapons depots.
The operation came in response to the killing of two US service members and one civilian in an ISIS ambush in Palmyra.
“We will not relent,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM. “We are steadfast in commitment to working with regional partners to root out the ISIS threat posed to US and regional security.”
CENTCOM noted that ISIS inspired at least 11 plots or attacks against American targets in 2025. Over the past year, coalition operations in Syria led to more than 300 terrorists being detained and over 20 killed.
“Continuing to hunt down terrorist operatives, eliminate ISIS networks, and work with partners to prevent an ISIS resurgence makes America, the region, and the world safer,” Cooper added.
ISIS overran large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" in land it controlled.
Several military offensives, including ones backed by a US-led international coalition, have since seen ISIS lose most areas it once controlled, including the loss of their de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria.
However, ISIS sleeper cells remain in the area and continue to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq. The US deploys troops in Syria as part of its effort to defeat ISIS in the region.