US attacks 75 ISIS targets in Syria on day the Assad regime collapses

U.S. Air Force jets including B-52s and F-15 fighter jets struck 75 Islamic State targets Sunday in central Syria on the day the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed, the U.S. Central Command said.

A CENTCOM statement said the strikes against ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps “were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS” and to “ensure that ISIS “does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria.”

“The operation struck over 75 targets using multiple U.S. Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s,” the statement said. “Battle damage assessments are underway, and there are no indications of civilian casualties.

“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, the CENTCOM commander. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”

ISIS is not part of the coalition that seized Damascus before dawn Sunday and forced Assad to flee to his longtime ally Russia.

The U.S. maintains about 900 troops in Syria to prevent ISIS from staging a comeback. The U.S. also maintains substantial air assets in neighboring countries which could have taken part in Sunday’s attacks.