WASHINGTON (AP) — Massive U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State militants in Syria were meant in part as a message to the group and a move to ensure that it doesn’t try to take advantage of the chaos following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government.
The U.S. and its partners want to make sure the Islamic State group, which still has a presence in Syria, can’t step into the leadership void and once again exert control over wide swaths of the country, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Monday. The U.S. on Sunday struck about 75 IS targets in the Syrian desert.
The U.S. has had troops in Syria for the last decade to battle IS. The tumult following a rebel offensive that toppled Assad has raised fears of an Islamic State resurgence.
“ISIS will try to use this period to reestablish its capabilities, to create safe havens,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, using another acronym for the group. “As our precision strikes over the weekend demonstrate, we are determined not to let that happen.”
So far, U.S. officials are saying that they do not plan an increase in American forces in Syria but are focused on making sure those already there are safe.