Islamic State senior leader killed during US helicopter raid in Syria
A senior leader of Islamic State (IS) has been killed during a helicopter raid in northern Syria.
Hamza al-Homsi was killed in the “targeted” mission on Thursday night – hours before 53 people were killed in a suspected IS attack in central Syria on Friday.
Four US troops and a working dog were injured during the raid and were evacuated to a US medical facility in Iraq for treatment, according to US military officials.
They are said to be in stable condition, according to the White House.
In a statement, US Central Command said: “Last night, during a partnered US and Syrian Democratic Forces helicopter raid in northeastern Syria, an explosion on target resulted in four US servicemembers and one working dog wounded.
“The targeted ISIS senior leader, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed.
“The US servicemembers and working dog are receiving treatment in a US medical facility in Iraq.”
US Central Command did not elaborate on al-Homsi’s role in the terror group.
The raid was carried out with the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance led by Kurdish fighters that has waged a years-long campaign against IS in the north.
It comes after a former IS chief killed himself during a raid in southern Syria.
Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi died during an operation carried out by the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Jasem in the northwestern Deraa province, US military officials confirmed in December.
US special forces also killed a senior IS leader and 10 other militants in a raid on a mountain cave complex in a remote part of northern Somalia in January.
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The militant group once laid claim to swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. They were brought to an end in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later.
However, the group still carries out sporadic attacks, including on territory it once claimed as part of its caliphate.
On Friday, the group killed at least 53 people during an attack in the Syrian Desert, state TV reported.
It is understood that the group were truffle hunting in Sokhna in the Palmyra region when they were attacked.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killings.
