U.S. special forces utilized an array of ordnances, to include Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) and Hellfire missiles, in their successful raid on the leader of ISIS’ compound, the U.S.’ top military official said Monday.
Army Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters the mission that resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi required JASSMs, Hellfires, Guided Bomb Units, mini-guns and small arms fires.
“We used a variety of munitions. The bombs were used at the tailend [of the mission] in order to destroy the compound you saw in various videos, etc,” Milley said.
U.S. Joint Special Operations Forces on Saturday night conducted the raid, which Milley said took place around four miles from the Turkish border in the Idlib province of Syria.
“During the mission, U.S. forces were infiltrated by helicopter. And once on the objective, they secured the target’s compound. The assault force was engaged with small arms fire and the threats were quickly eliminated,” Milley said. “Our forces isolated the compound and protected all non-combatants. While clearing the objective, U.S. forces discovered al-Baghdadi hiding in a tunnel. The assault force closed in on al-Baghdadi and it ended when he detonated a suicide vest.”