Biden says Daesh leader killed in US military raid in Syria
- 03 Feb 2022
The leader of the violent Daesh group was killed during an overnight raid carried out by US special forces in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, President Joe Biden said on Thursday.
The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim Al Hashimi Al Qurayshi, who took over as head of the militant group on Oct.31, 2019, just days after leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi died during a US raid in the same area.
A US official said Qurayshi died as Baghdadi did, by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family, including women and children, as US forces approached.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby earlier described Thursday's raid as a successful counter-terrorism mission, saying there were no US casualties.
The operation came as Daesh 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.
US special forces landed in helicopters and assaulted a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted the town of Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria’s civil war.
First responders reported that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women.
Biden said in a statement that he ordered the raid to "protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place."
"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 Daesh,” Biden said in a statement. He said all Americans involved in the operation returned safely.
Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and senior national security aides monitored a live-feed of the operation from the White House Situation Room according to an official.
The operation marked a military success for the United States at an important time after setbacks elsewhere — including the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal — have led allies and opponents to conclude US power globally was weakening.
The two-story house, surrounded by olive trees in fields outside Atmeh, was left with its top floor shattered and blood spattered inside.
A journalist on assignment for The Associated Press and several residents said they saw body parts scattered near the site. Most residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
"The mission was successful,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement. "There were no US casualties."
Associated Press
