US kills 3 Islamic State leaders in 2 Syria operations

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say U.S. forces killed three senior Islamic State leaders in two separate military operations in Syria Thursday, including a rare ground raid in a portion of the northeast that is controlled by the Syrian regime. Officials say special operations forces conducted a raid near the village of Qamishli, killing IS insurgent Rakkan Wahid al Shamman, wounding another and capturing two others. Later Thursday, the U.S. conducted an airstrike in northern Syria, killing Abu Ala, the Number 2 Islamic State leader in Syria, and Abu Mu’ad al Qahtani, another IS leader, officials said.