US helicopter raid in Syria targets an Islamic State leader

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military says a helicopter raid by U.S. forces in northern Syria has resulted in the “probable death” of a senior leader of the militant Islamic State group. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the IS leader, who was not named, was “responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe.” CENTCOM said two other “armed individuals” were killed along with the target of the raid, which took place early on Monday. The statement said no civilians or U.S. troops were hurt in the operation. At least 900 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors.