US Politics
US launches ‘large-scale’ attack of airstrikes in Syria
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The United States military has launched extensive airstrikes against Islamic State targets across central Syria, officials confirmed on Friday, in direct retaliation for a recent attack on American personnel.
The strikes follow a pledge by President Donald Trump to respond forcefully after an incident last weekend, which saw a suspected Islamic State member target a U.S. convoy.
An anonymous US official characterized the current military action as a large-scale response.
That attack, which occurred on Saturday in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, resulted in the deaths of two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
Three additional U.S. soldiers sustained injuries before the assailant was shot dead, according to the US military.
These latest actions are part of an ongoing campaign by a US-led coalition, which has been conducting both aerial and ground operations against suspected Islamic State militants in Syria, often in conjunction with local security forces.