3rd February, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden announced early Thursday that a raid in Syria on Wednesday killed the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
“Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces in northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place,” Biden said in a statement.
“Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi—the leader of ISIS.
“All Americans have returned safely from the operation,” Biden added.
He is expected to deliver remarks on the successful raid later Thursday.
The Pentagon disclosed the raid by U.S. special operations forces late Wednesday evening, describing it as “successful”.
It said that there were no American casualties.
“More information will be provided as it becomes available,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement.
Thirteen people, including children and women, were reportedly killed in the counterterrorism operation, which took place around a two-storey home in Atmeh near the border between Syria and Turkey, according to The Associated Press.
The killed ISIS leader, according to reports, used to be an informant of the U.S. before he took over its leadership.
He was said to have provided critical information to the United States about the terror organisation.
More than 50 tactical interrogation reports released by the US’s Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), show that Qurashi was seen as a model prisoner by the US when he was a detainee in Iraq in 2008.
Overly eager to share detailed information, he used the opportunity to take down rivals within the group, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), the successor organisation to ISIS, or Daesh.