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Trump Says 'Five Most Wanted Leaders Of ISIS Captured'

Trump Says 'Five Most Wanted Leaders Of ISIS Captured'

The five senior figures are reported to have been captured in a sting carried out by the US and Iraq

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Donald Trump has tweeted to say that the five most wanted leaders of ISIS have been captured.

According to the New York Times, a cross-border sting using intelligence from both the US and Iraq has resulted in the capture of the five senior figures.

The arrests were part of a three-month long operation which tracked a number of senior figures who were known to be hiding out in Syria and Turkey.

The men have since appeared on Iraqi television in yellow prison uniforms; with officials describing them as 'some of the most wanted' leaders of the terrorist group.

In the broadcast, the men appeared to be in good health - they each gave a short statement to explain their responsibilities within the group, the New York Times reports.

According to the Independent, the men were captured after they tricked by Iraqi intelligence services into crossing the Syrian border.

Reports claim the Iraqi-American intelligence team used a messaging app on the phone of a ISIS member who had previously been captured to lure the men across the border where they were captured by Iraqi authorities.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has previously vowed to 'take all necessary measures' against members based in Syria, with the Iraqi air force carrying out a number of airstrikes in areas believed to contain ISIS members in the country.

PA

ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was not one of the men captured - who currently has a $25million bounty on his head from the US State Department. An official said of al-Baghdadi: "His movements are discreet and he never travels in a convoy."

He believed to be hiding out in eastern Syria, with his full whereabouts known only to a few of his most trusted followers.


Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: US News, Donald Trump