CENTCOM confirms 22 anti-ISIS operations in Syria, eliminating five terrorists, capturing 19, and strengthening the Global Coalition’s regional foothold.
In a decisive escalation of counterterrorism efforts, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday that its forces, working with Syrian partners, carried out more than 22 coordinated operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) over the past month, significantly degrading the group’s operational capabilities across northeastern Syria.
According to CENTCOM’s statement, the joint missions — conducted under Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) between October 1 and November 6 — resulted in five ISIS operatives killed and 19 captured, disrupting networks that once fueled global jihadist activity.
“Our success in countering the ISIS threat in Syria is a notable achievement,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander. “We will continue to aggressively pursue ISIS remnants in Syria while working with the Global Coalition Against ISIS to ensure the group cannot regenerate or export terror.”
The operations focused on dismantling ISIS sleeper cells, intercepting communications lines, and neutralizing local insurgency hubs that have plagued the Euphrates River Valley since the fall of ISIS’s so-called caliphate.
ISIS once controlled vast territories spanning Syria and Iraq, declaring Raqqa its “capital” in 2014. A succession of offensives — many led by the US-led international coalition — shattered the group’s grip, culminating in the fall of Raqqa and Mosul and the death of successive ISIS leaders.
Even so, ISIS remnants remain active in desert zones and along smuggling routes into Iraq, continuing to stage sporadic ambushes, assassinations, and bombings.
CENTCOM’s latest update also confirmed a historic diplomatic milestone: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has formally declared Syria’s entry into the Global Coalition Against ISIS, making it the 90th member of the multinational alliance — a move seen as symbolic acknowledgment of the coalition’s enduring dominance in counterterror operations.
Military analysts note that the resurgence of coalition activity signals a broader message: Washington’s resolve to prevent an ISIS comeback remains unshaken, even amid shifting global focus toward great-power competition.
For Israel and its regional allies, the renewed U.S. campaign serves a strategic purpose — stabilizing Syria’s chaotic frontier and curbing the same extremist corridors long exploited by Iranian militias and Hezbollah.
“Every ISIS defeat in Syria strengthens the security perimeter around Israel and the wider Middle East,” one Israeli defense analyst observed.
With 22 operations in just over a month, CENTCOM’s tempo of strikes underscores an unambiguous message: the U.S. and its partners are tightening the noose on the remnants of the so-called caliphate — ensuring that the black flag of ISIS stays buried in the sands of Syria.
