Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump plans to award the Medal of Honor to an Army Ranger who helped rescue more than 70 hostages being held by Islamic State militants in Iraq in 2015. The White House announced Thursday that the President will recognize Army Sgt. Payne had led a combined assault team during a "daring nighttime hostage rescue" in Kirkuk province, Iraq, the White House said in a statement. Mass graves dug inside the compound had been spotted during surveillance, a US official with direct knowledge of details of the raid told CNN at the time. After the rescue, hostages said they had been told they would be executed after morning prayers.

Source: CNN September 04, 2020 01:07 UTC