Stringer/Reuters
Five senior Islamic State officials were reportedly captured in a “cross-border sting carried out by Iraqi and American intelligence,” according to The New York Times. President Donald Trump seemed to affirm the Times’ reporting, tweeting on Thursday morning: “Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured!” One of the captured is reportedly a “top aide” to the group’s leader. They were all being tracked as they were hiding in Syria and Turkey during an alleged “three-month operation,” according to the report. While the Iraqi “external intelligence agency” publicly confirmed the capture of four Iraqis and one Syrian, the CIA and the White House declined the Times’ requests for comment. Turkey did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.