US Lieutenant General William Mayville briefs the press during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Sept. 23, 2014. [Xinhua/Bao Dandan] |
According to a statement released by U.S. Central Command on Tuesday, U.S. military forces and partner nations used a mix of fighters, bombers, remotely piloted aircraft and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and conducted 14 strikes against IS targets.
The strikes destroyed or damaged multiple IS targets in eastern and northeastern Syria, including IS fighters, training compounds, headquarters and command and control facilities, storage facilities, a finance center, supply trucks and armed vehicles.
At present, about two thirds of the estimated 30,000 IS fighters are based in Syria. The remainder have captured large parts of northern Iraq, although their momentum has been blunted by U.S. fighter, bomber and drone aircraft.
In addition, the U.S. military has continued airstrikes against IS forces in Iraq. Since Aug. 8, there have been 194 U.S. airstrikes on IS targets across the country.
Last week, Congress and the president agreed to fund a 500- million-dollar program designed to recruit, train and equip a force of opposition moderate Syrians. They will be trained in Saudi Arabia to defend their communities against IS fighters and the Syrian regime.