The hackers, who refer to themselves as the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), announced in an online communication that they targeted CENTCOM’s network system after US President Barack Obama announced a “decision to attack Syria with electronic warfare.”

In a Friday message on its Twitter account, the group claimed to “have already successfully penetrated many central repositories.”

CENTCOM is a major US military force that plans and conducts war action for Washington throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia and was responsible for American military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In the coming days we will update you with specific details and hundreds of documents that the SEA has obtained,” the group said.

The group has also been linked to a number of high-profile cyber activities, including its more recent cyber attack against the US-based financial magazine, Forbes.

SEA, however, is best known for hacking the Twitter account of the top American news agency, The Associated Press, in 2013. After the account was commandeered, the SEA filed a fake report, saying an explosion had occurred at the White House.

Last month, the New York Times revealed that the United States was developing a battle plan against Syria that featured a sophisticated cyber attack on the Syrian military and the command structure of the Syrian government.

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