In cooperation with Syrian forces, US military units staged a raid Thursday that killed Hamza al-Homsi, a senior commander in ISIS, a terrorist organization Donald Trump claimed he “100%” defeated, CNN reports.
It’s the second major elimination of an ISIS leader in less than a week by American forces: US Central Command announced February 10th the death of Ibrahim Al Qahtani, described as “an ISIS official associated with planning ISIS detention center attacks,” locations where Syrians are holding more than 10,000 former ISIS fighters.
In the al-Homsi operation, all four soldiers and the military dog where hurt when an explosion erupted as the soldiers approached al-Homsi to potentially capture him. Officials have not said if a booby trap was set off, if al-Homsi detonated a suicide vest, or if some other explosive caused the blast. One soldier later returned to active duty; the other three and the dog are being treated at an Iraqi hospital, but may be moved to a facility in Germany for additional medical treatment. 47