WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A dozen Islamic State fighters were killed in U.S. air strikes targeting the terrorist outfits' camps and operatives in Syria, the Defense Department has announced.
There are no indications of civilian casualties in the attacks carried out by U.S. Central Command forces Monday, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference.
When asked if there is any concern that the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria could lead to ISIS making attempts to free its detained cadres from prison camps in the region, Ryder said that the Pentagon is working with the Syrian Democratic Forces to ensure the situation doesn't deteriorate.
'[The prison camp situation] presents a significant security concern in the sense that, were ISIS able to affect some type of breakout of any detention facility, that would be a significant setback and something that would be very concerning,' Ryder told reporters.
'[That's] why we continue to work very closely with the SDF to ensure that those detainees can continue to be held, [and we're also] working with the international community to attempt to repatriate many of those detainees.'
Regard the United States' military presence in the vicinity of the ISIS detention facilities, Ryder said the U.S. provides an 'outer layer' of security in that region, and that the primary focus remains on 'supporting the defeat ISIS mission more proactively in terms of disrupting and degrading any potential external operations.'
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2024 AFX News
