Biden: Leader of ISIS terror group ’is no more’ after being killed during US-led raid

One of the world’s most wanted men – the leader of terror group ISIS – has been killed, along with his wife and two children, in a counter-terrorism raid in Syria.

Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi has been killed, alongside his wife and two children, as US forces carried out a risky counter-terrorism operation in northwest Syria.

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the head of the terror group died by suicide during the pre-dawn raid.

“This horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Mr Biden said.

“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 ISIS.

“In a final act of desperate cowardice – with no regard to the lives of his own family or others in the building – he chose to blow himself up rather than face justice for the crimes he has committed, taking several members of his family with him just as his predecessor did.”

The Pentagon later confirmed that al-Qurayshi’s wife and their two children were among those killed by the terrorist when he detonated an “explosive device” on the third floor of the building.

At least one other child was killed on the second floor but it has not yet been determined how that happened, according to US Press Secretary John Kirby.

“One of (terror leader’s) lieutenants and his wife fired back (at US troops) and were killed,” he added.

“A child was also killed on that floor.

“The lives of innocence taken were caused by (al-Qurayshi) … blowing himself up.”

Mr Kirby said investigations into the incident and deaths were ongoing.

“We were able to safely evacuate 10 individuals (including children),” he said, adding that US troops called on civilians to evacuate the building as they closed in.

The helicopter-borne assault carried out by about two dozen American commandos, backed by helicopter gunships, armed Reaper drones and attack jets, was similar to the one carried out by the US on then ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019. He also detonated a suicide bomb as US forces closed in on him in the same region of Idlib. Al-Qurayshi was then appointed as his replacement.

Joe Biden said on February 3, 2022 that the leader of the Islamic State group had been killed during a raid by US forces in Syria. Picture: US Department of State.

A senior administration official said al-Qurayshi, 45, died at the beginning of the operation when he detonated a bomb that killed him and members of his own family, including women and children, The NY Times reports.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor had said civilians were among at least 13 people killed in the operation, which saw elite US forces make a perilous helicopter landing near Atme.

“Thirteen people at least were killed, among them four children and three women, during the operation,” an Observatory spokesperson wrote on Twitter.

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

Al-Qurashi reportedly detonated a bomb that killed him and others.

Al-Qurashi, an Iraqi from the Turkmen-majority city of Tal Afar who was also known as Amir Mohammed Said Abd al-Rahman al-Mawla, replaced Baghdadi after his death in a US raid in October 2019.

The US government had offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Qurashi, who was one of the world’s most wanted men.

“There was $10 million on his head but I don’t have any updates on whether that reward will be claimed. This operation was months in the planning.

“This is a man we should all be happy is no longer walking on the face of this earth.”

Al-Qurayshi’s body was identified by fingerprints and DNA analysis, Mr Kirby told reporters on Thursday.

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. pic.twitter.com/uhK75WeUme

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 3, 2022

الطيران المروحي التابع للتحالف الدولي يستهدف بالرشاشات الثقيلة محيط منطقة الانزال الجوي في #أطمة شمال #إدلبpic.twitter.com/tEsAVboTZ4

— Ahmed Rahhal | أحمد رحال (@pressrahhal) February 2, 2022

During the overnight raid, residents in the northern Idlib province said they heard helicopters at around 1am local time, and later, the sound of heavy clashes, The Washington Post reports.

In one unverified widely circulated video posted on Twitter, the sound of heavy gunfire can be heard, as what appear to be muzzle flashes are seen above the skyline.

Another grainy video showed a house seemingly on fire, and a call over loudspeakers could be heard warning children to leave.

The top floor of the building was almost completely destroyed in the raid, with most of the walls and ceiling knocked down.

The US has conducted several air raids in the region in recent years targeting terrorist organisations or Iran-backed militia groups.

Last October, the US military announced that a drone strike had killed top al Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar.