Nearly 25 Islamic State fighters killed or captured in Syria, U.S. military says

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Tuesday that nearly 25 operatives of the Islamic State group were killed or captured in Syria this month following an ambush that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter.U.S.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Tuesday that nearly 25 operatives of the Islamic State group were killed or captured in Syria this month following an ambush that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said in a statement on X that 11 missions were carried out over the past 10 days and followed initial strikes against IS weapons sites and infrastructure on Dec. 19, which hit 70 targets across central Syria.

In the operations since, the U.S. military and other forces from the region, including Syria, killed at least seven IS members, captured others and eliminated four weapons caches, U.S. Central Command said.

“We will not relent,” Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the command, said in the statement. “We are steadfast in commitment to working with regional partners to root out the ISIS threat posed to U.S. and regional security.”

Targets ranged from senior IS members who were being closely monitored by military officials to lower-level foot soldiers, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.