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U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces carried out an airstrike in northern Syria, resulting in the death of an ISIS official, as reported by authorities.
CENTCOM shared news about the strike in a social media post on Thursday.
“On June 10, CENTCOM forces executed a targeted airstrike in Northwest Syria, successfully eliminating Rakhim Boev, an ISIS leader based in Syria involved in orchestrating external operations that posed a threat to U.S. citizens, allies, and civilians,” announced CENTCOM. “This attack aligns with CENTCOM’s ongoing mission, in collaboration with regional partners, to disrupt and dismantle efforts by terrorists to strategize, organize, and execute assaults on U.S. forces and our allied nations.”
Last month, President Donald Trump announced he would normalize U.S. relations with Syria by lifting decades-old sanctions.
This action marks a surprising turn from former President Trump’s earlier stance when he stated in December that “Syria is a mess but it is not our concern, and THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT WITH IT.”
The December collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime following the takeover by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, not only signified an end to a decades-long oppressive regime, it also effectively dismantled years of Iranian investment in a major setback to its regional influence.
An Islamic State terrorist in Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters)
Trump emphasized that this sanctions relief, which he argued will give the country a chance to recover and was soon followed by an EU order to lift sanctions, is a move to encourage Syria to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is also the leader of HTS, which is still a designated terrorist group under the U.S. and the UN, has not officially agreed to pursue diplomatic ties with Jerusalem – a push that several Middle Eastern nations have flatly rejected amid its aggressive military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Trump also emphasized that the new Syrian government needs to suppress the rise of Islamic extremist groups.
President Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, center, and Syrian President Ahmedal-Sharaa; al-Sharaa and Trump shake hands in Saudi Arabia on May 14. (Reuters)
Syria is not a united nation as conflict persists across the country among varying minority groups, former regime loyalists and terrorist organizations like ISIS.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also warned lawmakers last month that Syria could be just “weeks” away from a “potential collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions.”
These fractures pose a significant vulnerability for the new Syrian government.
Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
