ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday announced carrying out a joint operation with forces from the Syrian Ministry of Interior, targeting Islamic State (ISIS) weapon caches in southern Syria, during which more than 15 sites containing weapons of the militant group were destroyed.

The forces cooperated to identify and eliminate alleged ISIS weapons storage facilities across Rif Dimashq province “during multiple airstrikes and ground detonations,” read a CENTCOM statement.

The operation resulted in the destruction of “more than 130 mortars and rockets, multiple assault rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, and materials for building improvised explosive devices,” as well as illicit substances.

“This successful operation ensures gains made against ISIS are lasting and the group is not able to regenerate or export terrorist attacks,” the statement added.

In December, Syria officially joined the international coalition to defeat ISIS, becoming its 90th partner, a day after President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with top US officials in Washington, including President Donald Trump, during which they urged Damascus to join the anti-ISIS efforts.

In return, Washington temporarily suspended the crippling Ceaser sanctions on the country for 180 days.

Days before the meeting, Damascus carried out a widescale operation targeting ISIS cells, arresting more than 70 alleged ISIS-affiliated individuals and confiscating weapons and explosives.

ISIS took control of swathes of Syrian territory in 2014, declaring its so-called caliphate with the Iraqi city of Mosul as its capital. They were territorially defeated with assistance from the US-led coalition forces in Syria in 2019.

Despite their territorial defeat, the group has sought to exploit the region’s instability following the fall of the Baath regime by conducting hit-and-run sporadic operations in remote areas of the country.