Washington DC: Four Iranian-backed militia members were killed in the U.S. strikes in Syria on Wednesday in response to attacks by the group in recent weeks, the U.S. military said Thursday. The U.S. military began precision airstrikes in Syria against Iran-backed groups at President Biden’s direction on Tuesday.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces also destroyed seven enemy rocket launchers on Wednesday hours after militia fighters fired rockets at two U.S. military installations in northeast Syria. Central Command provided additional details about the strikes on Thursday, saying they were done with Apache helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777 Howitzers.
Col. Joe Buccino, U.S. Central Command’s communications director, said in a statement that the strikes targeted “infrastructure facilities” in the city of Deir ez-Zor, located in eastern Syria, used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The latest spike in attacks came after militias backed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard targeted U.S. troops on Aug. 15 at the al-Tanf Garrison in the south. There were no casualties or damage in that attack. But, in response, the U.S. struck bunkers and facilities used by the militias.
The opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that those U.S. airstrikes targeted the Ayash Camp run by the Fatimiyoun group made up of Shiite fighters from Afghanistan and that at least six Syrian and foreign militants were killed.
