United States special forces surrounded the home of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim
al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in a counter-terrorism operation in Syria yesterday.
However, the ISIS boss who succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi chose to blow
himself up.
The number of American special forces surrounding al-Qurayshi's home in
northwestern Syria stands at two dozen. The explosion killed him and his
family. Al-Qurayshi is one of the most wanted people in the world for his
involvement as the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group.
In a counter-terrorism operation, US attack helicopters transport US special
operations commandos to a house in Atmeh in northwestern Syria in a risky
early-morning attack.
The operation was launched after intelligence revealed the location of
al-Qurayshi. Al-Qurayshi's neighbors told the New York Times quoted on
Friday (4/2/2022) that there was tension in the operation.
American troops, over loudspeakers, issued a warning in Arabic for everyone
in the house to surrender. Suddenly, an explosion shook the building.
US President Joe Biden, who watched the attack take place in real time from
the Situation Room table at the White House, said on Thursday that the
leader of the Islamic State group (IS or more commonly known as ISIS) had
been "taken off the battlefield" by US forces in Syria. .
"Last night at my direction, US military forces in northwestern Syria
successfully carried out a counter-terrorism operation to protect the
American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place," Biden
said in a statement.
“Thanks to the skill and courage of our armed forces, we have left the
battlefield of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi – the leader of ISIS. All
Americans have returned safely from that operation," Biden added.
Al-Qurayshi, Biden said, was killed when he detonated a bomb, killing
himself and members of his family.
According to CNN, their bodies were thrown from the building and onto the
ground nearby due to the shocking force of the explosion.
"When our troops drew near to arrest the terrorist, in a final act of
desperate cowardice, with no regard for the lives of his own family or those
of others in the building, he chose to blow himself up rather than stand
trial for the crimes he committed," Biden said.
"In detonating the bomb, Qurashi brought some of his family members, as did
his predecessors," Biden added.
Biden said special forces attacks were launched rather than air strikes to
minimize civilian casualties.
"Knowing that this terrorist has chosen to surround himself with family,
including children, we made the choice to pursue a special forces attack at
a much greater risk to our own people, rather than targeting him (Qurashi)
with air strikes," he said.
A senior US official told AFP that all the casualties in the attack were
caused by the acts of ISIS terrorists.
Also known as Amir Mohammed Said Abd al-Rahman al-Mawla, al-Qurayshi quickly
became known for his brutality, which earned him the monstrous nickname,
"The Destroyer".
According to a profile created by the think-tank Counter Extremism Project,
Al-Qurayshi, also known as the "Professor" is considered by ISIS to be a
brutal policymaker responsible for eliminating those who opposed his
predecessor Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, before taking over after taking over.
al-Baghdadi's death in 2019.
The Pentagon disclosed the attack by US special operations forces late
Wednesday or early Thursday, describing it as "successful" and saying there
were no American casualties.
"More information will be provided as it becomes available," Pentagon
spokesman John Kirby said in a brief statement.
Thirteen people, including children and women, were reportedly killed in the
counter-terrorism operation, which took place around a two-story house in
Atmeh near the border between Syria and Turkey.
The US special forces offensive in Syria's northwestern Idlib region
provided the biggest setback for the "jihadist" group since al-Qurashi's
more notorious predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a similar
operation in 2019.
