A helicopter raid involving US and Syrian forces has resulted in the death of a senior ISIS leader Hamza al-Hosi.

In a statement released this afternoon, Friday, February 17, US Central Command confirmed that Hamza al-Hosi, a senior ISIS leader had been killed in northeastern Syria. He was reportedly taken out during a helicopter raid conducted by joint Syrian and US forces late last night, Thursday 16.

An explosion reportedly injured four members of the assault team during the incident, along with a dog, but no further information was revealed as to what caused the blast. They were all said to be in Iraq receiving treatment.

A statement read: ‘Last night, during a partnered US and Syrian Democratic Forces helicopter raid in northeastern Syria, an explosion on target resulted in four US service-members and one working dog wounded’.

‘The targeted ISIS leader, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed. The service-members and working dog are receiving treatment in a US medical facility in Iraq‘, it added. Not a lot of information is available on the deceased commander or on his actual position in the terrorist organisation.

According to report, there are about 900 U.S. troops operating in northeastern Syria in areas controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces known as the Syrian Democratic Force and approximately 2,500 American troops still in Iraq.

The terror group was militarily defeated in Syria in 2019 and since then, its leaders have gone into hiding to prevent being targeted by U.S. forces.