President Joe Biden revealed that the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group was killed in an overnight US special operations mission in northwestern Syria.
In “a final act of desperate cowardice,” Qurayshi detonated a device that murdered himself and members of his own family, according to the president.
A two-story residential building on the outskirts of the opposition-held town of Atmeh, which is located in northern Idlib province and near to the Turkish border, was targeted by US special operations. In order to limit casualties, Biden approved the employment of special troops, a far riskier option than a drone strike.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-death, Qurayshi’s according to Biden, “removed a huge terrorist threat to the world.”
After the raid, Syrian first responders stated they discovered the dead of 13 individuals, including children.
The region is home to jihadist groups who are staunch competitors of IS, as well as Turkish-backed rebel forces fighting Syria’s government.
President Biden was originally briefed about the mission to capture or kill Qurayshi, also known as Hajji Abdullah, by US military leaders more than a month ago, according to the US government.
Qurayshi was residing with his family on the second story of a residential building in Atmeh, according to CIA intelligence assessments, and he never went outside no matter what, instead employing couriers to deliver his orders to IS cells in Syria and overseas.
On the ground floor, there was another family who was not believed to be related to IS or aware of Qurayshi’s presence.