The leader of the Islamic State (IS) group has been k!lled in an overnight US special forces raid in north-west Syria, President Joe Biden has announced..
Qurayshi detonated a bomb that k!lled himself and members of his own family “in a final act of desperate cowardice”, the president said.
The operation by US special forces targeted a two-storey residential building on the outskirts of the opposition-held town of Atmeh, which is in northern Idlib province and is close to the border with Turkey. Biden ordered the use of special forces, a much riskier alternative rather than a drone strike, as he wanted to limit casualties.
Biden said the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi had “removed a major terrorist threat to the world”.
Syrian first responders said they found the bodies of 13 people after the raid including children.
The region is a stronghold of jihadist groups that are fierce rivals of IS, as well as Turkish-backed rebel factions fighting the Syrian government.
The US government said President Biden was first briefed by US military commanders more than a month ago on the operation to capture or kill Qurayshi, also known as Hajji Abdullah.
Intelligence reports by the CIA had revealed that Qurayshi was living with his family on the second floor of the residential building in Atmeh and that he never went outside no matter what, instead using couriers to despatch his orders to IS cells in Syria and elsewhere.
Another family not believed to be connected to IS or aware of Qurayshi’s presence lived on the ground floor.
As special forces started the raid on Thursday, February 3, Biden was monitoring from the White House situation room as multiple helicopters arrived in Atmeh.
Local sources said the US special forces faced stiff resistance on the ground, and that they came under fire from anti-aircraft guns mounted on vehicles as they approached. Gunfire and shelling were heard for two hours before the helicopters left.
US government officials said the family living on the ground floor – a woman, a man and a number of children were evacuated to safety at the start of the raid.
