Topline
U.S. forces killed the leader of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, during a Wednesday night raid in northwest Syria, President Joe Biden announced in a statement Thursday morning, while the Associated Press and Reuters report more than a dozen people died.
Key Facts
The operation targeted a home near the Turkish border where al-Qurayshi was located and was carried out, on Biden’s orders, by a Special Forces team instead of an airstrike to “minimize civilian casualties,” Biden said during remarks delivered Thursday morning.
U.S. forces arrived via helicopter in Atmeh, a Syrian town in the rebel-controlled Idlib Province Wednesday night and exchanged gunfire for two hours, according to the Associated Press.
Biden said al-Qurayshi detonated a bomb as the raid occurred, choosing to “blow himself up” during the operation, “taking several members of his family with him” in a “final act of desperate cowardice.”
Thirteen people died during the raid — including six women and four children— according to the Associated Press and Reuters, citing local witnesses and first responders, though it is unclear if all were killed by the bomb al-Qurayshi detonated.
There were no U.S. casualties, Biden said in the statement, continuing that the counterrorism operation made “the world a safer place.”
Biden did not take any questions following his address.
Key Background
al-Qurayshi oversaw ISIS’ “savaging [of] communities” and “murdering [of] innocents,” Biden said, and most recently was responsible for a January attack on a prison in northeastern Syria that killed 500. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said earlier Thursday morning that the U.S. carried out a “successful” raid in northwest Syria but provided no further details past saying the U.S. suffered no casualties. A U.S. drone strike in December also in the Idlib Province killed a local al Qaeda leader, injuring a civilian family in the process. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the previous leader of ISIS, died during a 2019 U.S. raid.
Crucial Quote
Biden concluded his remarks: “Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield and has sent a strong message to terrorists around the world: We will come after you and find you.”
Further Reading
U.S. Special Forces Carry Out Counterterrorism Raid In Northwest Syria, Civilian Casualties Reported (Forbes)
