ISIS boss Hamza al-Homsi dead and 4 US troops wounded in helicopter raid in northeastern Syria
A SENIOR ISIS leader has been killed in a tactical helicopter raid led by US and Syrian officials that left four American service members injured.
ISIS leader Hamza al-Homsi was killed in the coordinated attack in northeastern Syria on Thursday evening.
“Last night, during a partnered U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces helicopter raid in northeastern Syria, an explosion on target resulted in four U.S. servicemembers and one working dog wounded,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
US officials said the four wounded troops are members of the US Army Special Forces.
Three of the service members and the working dog are in stable condition, a military official told CNN.
The wounded troops are receiving treatment in a US medical facility in Iraq.
The fourth service member suffered minor injuries and has returned to duty.
The raid is the latest in a string of operations meant to weaken ISIS operations in Syria.
CUTTING ISIS OPERATIONS
CENTCOM announced on Wednesday that a separate raid on February 10 killed ISIS officials Ibrahim al-Qahtani.
Al-Qahtani was an ISIS leader who coordinated attacks on detention centers housing imprisoned ISIS fighters.
In that raid, US officials seized multiple weapons, ammunition and a suicide belt.
In late January, senior ISIS leader Bilal al-Sudani, who was in charge of funding the jihadi death cult’s worldwide operations, was killed in a daring US special forces raid on his remote mountain cave hideout.
Al-Sudani was killed during a gunfight after US troops descended on a mountainous cave complex in northern Somalia, hoping to capture him.
The attack left 10 other terrorists dead.
Al-Sudani’s skills in organizing attacks in Africa as well as the ISIS-K terrorist branch operating in Afghanistan made him an essential target for US counterterrorism action, officials said.
“Al-Sudani was responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa and for funding the group’s operations worldwide, including in Afghanistan,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
His death came after the killing of the founder of ISIS and his successor.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up along with two of his own children during a US special forces raid on his compound in 2019.
A small unit chased the ISIS boss down with an attack dog before the sick fanatic ignited his suicide vest, killing himself and his children.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi also blew himself and his family up after using his own children as human shields during another raid by US special forces in early 2022.