U.S. Special Forces Kill ISIS Leader in Syria Raid

The top leader of the Islamic State terrorist group, Abu Ibrahim Al-Qurayshi, was killed during an overnight raid in northwestern Syria by U.S. special forces.

President Joe Biden reported this news early Thursday morning, “Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation,” Biden said in a statement. “Thanks to the bravery of our Armed Forces, we have removed from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — the leader of ISIS.”

“All Americans have returned safely from the operation,” he said.

Al-Qurayshi died by detonating a suicide bomb that killed both him and several civilians, one U.S. official, and one senior administration official reported to a news reporter.

The senior administration official stated the detonation killed members of the ISIS leader’s own family, including children.

A dramatic overnight incident leaving a number of people dead was also described by local residents and first responders.

Six children and four women were among the 13 people killed in clashes and bombing that took place “after an American airdrop”, according to the local rescue team.

“Our teams treated the injured and recovered the bodies from the residence targeted in the operation,” the volunteer relief group formally known as the Syrian Civil Defense said in a statement.

The U.S. official said that a military helicopter experienced a maintenance issue during the operation. It was set down safely at least a mile away from the objective, but was deemed unsafe to fly back and was detonated on site, the official said.

Al-Qurayshi was named ISIS leader in October 2019 after his predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, died during a U.S. raid in the same region earlier that month.

Al-Baghdadi also detonated a suicide bomb during the 2019 raid, killing himself and three of his children.

Helicopters roared suddenly early Thursday over Atmeh, near the Turkish border in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province, according to one resident who described an hourslong overnight standoff at a residential building that was subsequently reduced to rubble.

Mohamed al-Omar, 65, told the news that the building that was targeted belongs to his son, who has been living in Germany since 2016. 

He said he had been renting the building out since his son’s departure. 

A widow and her son had been living on the third floor, while her brother, his wife and their children had been living on the second, he said. Al-Omar said he believed they had all been killed overnight. He said he didn’t know if anyone living there had been involved in jihadist activity.

The third floor of the residential building had been completely destroyed in the raid, he said, while the second and first floors had been significantly damaged.

One neighbor said that he had been sleeping in his bedroom when he heard the sound of helicopters starting to get “stronger” and “louder” as they neared, describing it as “terrifying.” 

“I looked out the window and saw the airdrop to my neighbor’s house,” said Abu Omar, 39.

After that, he said he heard a voice booming through loudspeakers, warning those in the residence to “leave the house immediately” or be targeted.

The calls continued for about half an hour, he said, before gunshots could be heard followed by a final warning. Omar said a woman appeared to be speaking with those issuing the warning before the house “was bombed.” 

Idlib is broadly controlled by Turkey-backed fighters, but is also an al-Qaida stronghold and home to several of its top operatives. Other militants, including extremists from the rival Islamic State group, have also found refuge in the area.

Thursday’s operation came as ISIS has been trying for a resurgence, with a series of attacks in the region, including a 10-day assault late last month to seize a prison.