News Digest

Air strikes carried out by U.S. and Arab allies kill 120 jihadists in Syria

U.S.-led air strikes killed at least 120 jihadists in Syria today, a monitoring group said. The dead included more than 70 members of the Islamic State group, as well as 50 Al-Qaeda militants, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The U.S. and five Arab countries have been carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time. Fighter jets, bombers and drones as well as 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two US ships in the northern Persian Gulf and the Red Sea were deployed in the aerial raids. The Syrian foreign ministry confirmed the United States informed Damascus’ envoy to the United Nations before launching the airstrikes.

This won’t look like a shock-and-awe campaign, because that’s simply not how ISIL is organized, but it will be a persistent and sustainable campaign.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey

The U.S. military has also been launching targeted airstrikes in Iraq since August, focusing specifically on attacks to protect U.S. interests and personnel, and last week began going after militant targets. Military leaders have said about two-thirds of the estimated 31,000 IS militants are based in Syria. The group has slaughtered thousands of people, beheaded Westerners, including two American journalists, and captured a large swath of territory stretching from within Syria to land across northern and western Iraq. The U.S. Congress passed legislation late last week authorizing the military to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels. Obama signed the bill into law Friday, providing $500 million for the U.S. to train about 5,000 rebels over the next year.