On Friday, the military confirmed four U.S. troops and one combat dog were injured during a mission in northeast Syria that killed Hamza al-Homsi, a senior ISIS leader.
According to a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) press release, the injured American troops and the K-9 are receiving medical treatment. The service members and working dog are in stable condition.
The injuries occurred when al-Homsi detonated a suicide vest.
The raid was carried out with allied members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
CENTCOM reported no SDF or civilian casualties.
Per the press release:
Last night, during a partnered U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) helicopter raid in northeastern Syria, an explosion on target resulted in four U.S. servicemembers and one working dog wounded. The targeted ISIS senior leader, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed. The U.S. servicemembers and working dog are receiving treatment in a U.S. medical facility in Iraq.
Task & Purpose has more on the backstory around the raid:
The raid comes nearly a week after U.S. troops and the SDF launched a Feb. 10 raid in Syria that killed Ibrahim Al Qahtani, a suspected ISIS official who allegedly planned to break ISIS prisoners out of detention facilities.
“It seems clear that the U.S. military is exploiting intelligence from recent raids in Iraq and possibly Somalia to go after upper and mid-level leaders of the Islamic State,” said Bill Roggio, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank in Washington, D.C.
However, it is important to remember that leaders of ISIS, al-Qaida, and other terrorist groups have a deep bench of deputies, who are waiting to take over when the time comes, Roggio told Task & Purpose on Friday.
The Free Syrian Army – which is separate from the SDF – killed former top ISIS leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in October.
Analysts believe between 6,000 and 10,000 ISIS fighters remain at large in Syria and Iraq, a significant decrease from an estimated 18,000 two years ago.
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