US kills 150 ISIS fighters in Syria airstrike during government shutdown

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The Pentagon says it killed 150 ISIS fighters in an airstrike in eastern Syria, while the U.S. federal government was shut down Saturday.

The airstrike took in one of the last remaining pockets of ISIS control along the Euphrates River near the border between Syria and Iraq, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East.

While ISIS has lost 98 percent of its territory, the remaining 2 percent held by the terror group includes an area around the Syrian city of Al-Shaafah, where the strike took place. Top U.S. military officials believe the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is hiding in the area.

U.S.-backed fighters in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) “assisted in target observation prior to the strikes,” according to a statement announcing the airstrike.

The target for the American aircraft was an ISIS headquarters with a “heavy concentration” of ISIS fighters, who were preparing to leave the area, according to the statement. The head of U.S. commandos in Iraq and Syria said the strike shows ISIS has not been defeated.

“The strikes underscore our assertion that the fight to liberate Syria is far from over,” said Maj. Gen. James Jarrard, commanding general of the special operations joint task force.

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