US strikes 75 ISIS targets in Syria after Assad regime collapses

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — American forces in the Middle East pounded central Syria Sunday in a massive round of strikes just a day after the country’s government crumbled.

U.S. Central Command said that its warplanes conducted “dozens” of airstrikes on more than 75 sites, including known “ISIS leaders, operatives and camps.” The attacks used B-52 bombers, F-15 fighters and A-10 Warthogs, which have already been flying over the country this month for other attacks.

“There should be no doubt - we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of CENTCOM, wrote in a statement. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”

In all, around 140 munitions were used in what a separate senior U.S. administration official called a “significant strike” while speaking with reporters Sunday.

CENTCOM is still assessing the strike and said there were no reports yet of civilian casualties.

The barrage comes a day after Syria’s government fell in a dramatic end to the country’s decade-long civil war. The Assad regime had ruled the country for half a century, and its last ruler Bashar al-Assad had cruelly held down a rebellion for years — including the use of chemical weapons on his own people.

The Syrian civil war in part led to the emergence of ISIS in the 2010s and America’s military leading an international coalition to fight the terrorist group. There are now around 900 U.S. personnel in the country, and the international mission in the country is scheduled to wind down within two years.

Assad’s downfall came with his main supporters — Russia, Iran and the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah — all being weakened or distracted in the last year. When a rebel group began taking major cities across the country over the last two weeks, the government’s military collapsed.

According to Russian state media, Assad has since fled to Moscow.

American government and military officials watched the collapse near its climax over the weekend from California at the Reagan National Defense Forum. Of concern for lawmakers was the future of American forces in the country. President-elect Donald Trump tried to withdraw America’s military from Syria in his first administration and has said the U.S. shouldn’t get further involved in a social media post this weekend.

Speaking at the White House Sunday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. would maintain its positions in Syria — mainly located in the northeast across from the Euphrates River — and continue fighting ISIS.

While Biden said the weekend’s events were a rare opportunity to steady an otherwise war-torn country, the group that took power was once affiliated with al Qaeda and considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

The senior official speaking earlier said America’s government is speaking with a broad range of Syrian groups to offer any help in forming a more peaceful government and monitoring, in particular, Assad’s former stocks of chemical weapons.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

加州西米谷——就在叙利亚政府垮台的第二天，驻中东美军周日对叙利亚中部发动了大规模空袭。

美国中央司令部称，其战机对超过75个目标进行了“数十次”空袭，其中包括已知的“伊斯兰国”领导人、行动人员和营地。此次袭击使用了B-52轰炸机、F-15战斗机和A-10“疣猪”攻击机，其中A-10攻击机本月已在该国上空执行过其他袭击任务。

“毫无疑问，我们绝不允许ISIS在叙利亚局势下重组并趁机作乱，”美国中央司令部司令埃里克·库里拉将军在一份声明中写道。“叙利亚境内的所有组织都应该明白，如果他们以任何方式与ISIS合作或支持ISIS，我们将追究他们的责任。”

周日，一位美国高级政府官员在与记者交谈时称，此次“重大打击”共使用了约 140 枚弹药。

中央司令部仍在评估此次袭击事件，并表示目前尚未收到平民伤亡的报告。

就在叙利亚政府垮台、长达十年的内战戏剧性结束的第二天，叙利亚爆发了炮击。阿萨德政权统治该国长达半个世纪，其末代统治者巴沙尔·阿萨德曾残酷镇压叛乱多年，甚至对本国人民使用化学武器。

叙利亚内战在一定程度上促成了2010年代“伊斯兰国”的崛起，也促使美国军方领导国际联盟打击该恐怖组织。目前约有900名美军人员驻扎在叙利亚，而驻叙利亚的国际军事行动计划在两年内逐步结束。

阿萨德政权的垮台源于其主要支持者——俄罗斯、伊朗和黎巴嫩真主党——在过去一年中实力削弱或注意力分散。当反叛组织在过去两周开始占领全国各地主要城市时，政府军彻底崩溃。

据俄罗斯官方媒体报道，阿萨德此后逃往莫斯科。

上周末，美国政府和军方官员在加利福尼亚州的里根国防论坛上密切关注着叙利亚局势接近尾声的进展。议员们关注的焦点是美国驻叙利亚军队的未来。候任总统唐纳德·特朗普在其第一任期内曾试图从叙利亚撤军，并在本周末的社交媒体帖子中表示，美国不应进一步介入叙利亚局势。

周日，美国总统乔·拜登在白宫发表讲话时表示，美国将继续在叙利亚保持其在叙利亚的驻军——主要位于幼发拉底河对岸的东北部——并继续打击ISIS。

拜登表示，周末发生的事件是稳定这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家的难得机会，但夺取政权的组织曾与基地组织有关联，并被美国政府视为恐怖组织。

此前发言的高级官员表示，美国政府正在与叙利亚各界人士进行广泛对话，提供一切可能的帮助，以组建一个更加和平的政府，并特别监督阿萨德以前的化学武器库存。

诺亚·罗伯逊是《防务新闻》的五角大楼记者。他此前曾为《基督教科学箴言报》报道国家安全新闻。他拥有弗吉尼亚州威廉斯堡威廉与玛丽学院的英语和政治学学士学位。