Jordan confirms air force role in US-led strikes on IS targets in Syria

Jordan on Saturday confirmed that its air force participated in US-led military strikes against IS (Islamic State) group targets in Syria, launched in retaliation for the killing of three US citizens earlier this month.

In a statement, the Jordanian military said its air force took part in “precise airstrikes” targeting several IS positions in southern Syria. Jordan is part of the global coalition against IS, which comprises about 90 countries and which Syria has recently joined.

The confirmation came a day after the United States carried out strikes on multiple sites across Syria following a 13 December attack near Palmyra, in which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed. Three other US troops were wounded in the incident.

US Central Command (Centcom) said its forces struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria using fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery, with support from Jordanian fighter aircraft. The US military did not disclose casualty figures.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, reported that at least five people were killed in the strikes, including the leader and members of an IS cell. The claims could not be independently verified.

The Jordanian military said the operation was intended to prevent extremist groups from using parts of southern Syria as launchpads to threaten neighbouring countries and the wider region, citing concerns over IS regrouping and rebuilding its capabilities in the area.

Centcom said that since the 13 December attack, US and partner forces have conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq, resulting in the killing or detention of 23 “terrorist operatives”. It added that more than 80 counterterrorism operations had been carried out in Syria over the past six months.

US President Donald Trump had earlier pledged “very serious retaliation” for the attack, which Washington has blamed on IS. Trump has also said that Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa supported the strikes.

IS has not claimed responsibility for the attack on US personnel, but has since claimed two attacks on Syrian security forces, including one in Idlib province that reportedly killed four soldiers. In its statements, the group described al-Sharaa’s government and army as “apostates”.

Syrian officials have said the assailant who carried out the Palmyra attack had joined Syria’s internal security forces two months earlier and was under investigation over suspected IS links. He was killed during the incident after opening fire on a joint meeting of US and Syrian security officials.

With PTI/AP inputs