Washington: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US forces, in coordination with local Syrian forces, conducted a series of airstrikes and special operations between November 24 and 27 targeting ISIS weapons and ammunition depots in southern Syria, destroying more than 15 sites used by the group for storage and supply.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, CENTCOM said in a statement that the destroyed sites contained more than 130 mortar rounds and rockets, machine guns and assault rifles, anti-tank mines, materials used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and shipments of narcotics that the group used as a source of funding.

The US command confirmed that the operation aimed to “degrade ISIS’s ability to regroup and deprive it of the logistical capabilities that enable it to launch attacks inside and outside Syria.”

The US Department of Defense estimates the number of US troops in Syria at approximately 900, most of whom are deployed at bases east of Deir ez-Zor, in Hasakah, and at al-Tanf, near the border triangle with Jordan and Iraq.

American reports, including assessments by the CIA and CENTCOM, indicate that ISIS is seeking to rebuild its financial networks through drug trafficking, arms dealing, and ransom and kidnapping networks.