Conflicts & War

Islamic State leader killed in Syria raid, US confirms

Washington, Feb 3 (EFE).- The leader of the jihadist Islamic State group died in a United States special forces raid in northern Syria, US president Joe Biden confirmed Thursday.

“Last night at my direction, US military forces in northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism 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 bravery of our armed forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation,” he added.

Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi has led the Islamic State group since the death of its founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in a US raid in 2019.

Syrian rescue services, known as the White Helmets, said 13 people, including six children and four women, were killed in the operation in the rebel-held town of Atmeh, in the northern Idlib province.

Residents said US helicopters in the area after which heavy gunfire and explosions were heard during the raid.

The operation is believed to have been the largest US special forces intervention to be held in north-west Syria since 2019. EFE

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