US airstrikes on Syria kill 37 militants affiliated with extremist groups

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military says 37 militants in Syria affiliated with the Islamic State group and an al-Qaeda-linked group were killed in two U.S. airstrikes. It says senior militants are among the dead. U.S. Central Command said it struck northwestern Syria on Tuesday targeting a senior militant from the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen group and eight others. They say he was responsible for overseeing military operations. Central Command said the airstrike would disrupt the Islamic State group’s capability to conduct operations against U.S. interests and allies. An earlier airstrike targeted an IS training camp and killed 28 militants, including “at least four Syrian leaders.” Some 900 U.S. forces are in Syria, mostly trying to prevent any comeback by the extremist IS group.