President Biden, Vice President Harris and members of the President’s national security team observe the counterterrorism operation responsible for removing from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — the leader of ISIS.
Courtesy: The White House
WASHINGTON – The leader of terrorist group ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, died during a U.S. raid in Syria, the White House said Thursday.
Al-Qurayshi detonated a bomb that killed himself and several members of his family, a senior administration official told NBC News.
President Joe Biden is slated to address the nation on the details of the raid at 9:30 a.m. ET from the White House.
All U.S. service members involved in the mission returned safely from the operation.
A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, confirmed to NBC News that the Islamic State militant group leader was on the third floor of a building in northern Syria when U.S. Special Operators arrived.
People inspect a destroyed house following an operation by the U.S. military in the Syrian village of Atmeh, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022.
Ghaith Alsayed | AP
During the operation, a U.S. military helicopter experienced a maintenance issue and was deemed unsafe to fly. The servicemembers on the ground detonated the aircraft on-site.
Al-Qurayshi was previously a senior member in ISIS’ predecessor organization, al-Qaida in Iraq, before joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
Men carry the body of a child who was killed in a raid by the US-led International Coalition in the town of Atmeh. At least 13 people, including four children, were killed in the counterterrorism operation mounted early Thursday by US special forces.
Anas Alkharboutli | picture alliance | Getty Images
He rose through the ranks of the terror group before he was named its leader in October 2019, a few days after his predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed during a U.S. raid.
Under the Trump administration, the United States doubled the bounty for the new ISIS leader to $10 million.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
Clarification: This story’s headline was updated to reflect that the ISIS leader died during the raid.
