U.S. special forces carry out ground operation in Syria

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By BNO NEWS

U.S. special forces have carried out a ground operation in Syria, targeting vehicles thought to be carrying senior leaders of the Islamic State (ISIS) group. The results of the operation have not yet been made public.

The operation began at about 2:30 p.m. local time on Sunday and took place near a village close to Madan, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) southeast of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed capital, or about 67 kilometers (41 miles) northwest of Deir ez-Zur.

Four helicopters and two fighter jets are said to have been involved in the operation, which lasted about 90 minutes. The forces targeted several vehicles, killing at least 25 ISIS members and taking a number of others captive, according to the activist monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition confirmed that an operation took place but declined to provide details about the target and the mission’s results. “An operation was conducted in that area. We have nothing more to add at this time,” the spokesperson told BNO News.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post that an elite U.S. force had intercepted a vehicle believed to have been carrying senior leaders of the Islamic State. The official declined to say whether any militants had been captured or killed, but there were no American casualties.

The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and other information was not immediately available.

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