President Biden and the Pentagon stated that ISIS commander Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi got killed in an effective counterterrorism campaign in northwestern Syria.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed there were no US casualties. Sources tell Fox News that Al-Qurayshi wore a suicide vest that exploded during the operation.
Breaking News: U.S. forces killed the leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in a raid in northwest Syria, President Biden said.
Follow our updates.https://t.co/tCwm3hwRd5
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 3, 2022
According to Biden, “Last night, at my command, US military soldiers in northwest Syria performed counterterrorism operations to defend the people of this nation and our allies.”
“We have removed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi from the battlefield thanks to our military’s competence and bravery. The operation was a success for all Americans.”
Details of the Raid
Human rights organizations and eyewitnesses described a huge operation by the U.S. military that looked to have the intensity and preparation of a raid on a high-value target. Some people shared a video of the incident late at night on social media.
Residents of Atmeh, a rebel-held village in Idlib Province, told the AP that US soldiers used loudspeakers to persuade women and children to evacuate.
They called the raid the greatest since IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in October 2019.
Several senior Al Qaeda leaders and other terrorist organizations currently battling President Bashar Assad live near the Turkish border, where the operation occurred.
There was at least one big explosion. According to US sources, one of the raid’s helicopters had a technical fault and blew up on the ground.
Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation. Thanks to the bravery of our Armed Forces, we have removed from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — the leader of ISIS.
https://t.co/lsYQHE9lR9— President Biden (@POTUS) February 3, 2022
The organization said squads entered the designated building moments after combat ended at 3:15 a.m. A wounded youngster was taken to the hospital by their crews.
The procedure murdered the child’s whole family. The crews also evacuated a witness hurt in the confrontations to the hospital.
ISIS Operations
“The number of civilian casualties recorded on the ground does not align with what U.S. authorities believe occurred yesterday night,” two US sources told Fox News.
Reuters stated a resident’s footage showed two “presumably dead kids and a guy under the ruins of a building nearby.” Before Thursday’s strike, ISIS had boosted attacks in Syria and Iraq.
It attacked a jail in northeast Syria housing at least 3,000 ISIS captives last month, its greatest military operation since it was crushed and its fighters fled in 2019. The strike appears to be intended to release key Isis agents.
It took ten days of combat for US-backed Kurdish-led troops to ultimately recover the jail, with over 120 fighters and correctional officers slain. The US-led coalition conducted airstrikes and sent American troops in Bradley Fighting Vehicles to assist Kurdish forces.
The Wilson Center observed in December 2021 that al-Qurayshi, also identified as Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, has not been photographed and his background has been kept secret.
Al-Mawla has not issued an audio speech to Islamic State militants in a change from tradition.
“Former members of the organization claimed pledging loyalty to a ghost is against Sharia, but that hasn’t altered sentiment. Al Mawla’s rise has not been met with resistance on the battlefield.”
