U.S. President Joe Biden announces that the leader of the Islamic State group was “eliminated from the battlefield” during an operation carried out by U.S. Special Forces in the Syrian province of Idlib (northwest). He is Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al Quraishi.
Al Quraishi took over as head of ISIS after the death of the previous head of the jihadist group, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, in a similar operation carried out in October 2019 by special forces in Idlib province, near the border with Turkey.
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
He assures that the US forces involved in the raid have returned to their bases without casualties: “All Americans have returned safely from the operation,” the statement reads.
It also adds that it will soon make public statements to provide more details of the operation. “May God protect our troops,” he said.
For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that thirteen people, including four children, were killed during the operation in Idlib province.
The agency added that the United States sent its special forces to the Atme area, near the border with Turkey, and added that “the death of thirteen people, including four children and three women, has been verified and confirmed”.
