US Special forces claim to kill ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in Syria

WASHINGTON, Feb 03 (SABAH): United States has claimed to kill ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi during a special operation in North western area of Syria.

United States President Joseph Robinette Biden said on Thursday that a US Special Operations forces counterterrorism mission overnight in northwestern Syria had killed the leader of the Islamic State militant group.

The raid killed 13 people, including children, local first responders said. No US casualties were reported in the operation, which left a US helicopter destroyed on the ground.

“Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces in the northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our Allies, and make the world a safer place. 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. All Americans have returned safely from the operation. I will deliver remarks to the American people later this morning. May God protect our troops” Joe Biden tweeted on Thursday.

A US official with knowledge of the situation said the civilian casualties were caused by a man in the targeted compound who detonated explosives, killing multiple women and children. An American helicopter experienced a mechanical malfunction, prompting US troops to blow it up in place before they flew away on other aircraft, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Residents in the area described a thunderous, early morning assault involving multiple helicopters and heavy machine gun fire. First

The White Helmets, a Syrian civil defense group that works in parts of the country not controlled by the government, said they have recovered 13 bodies so far, including those of six children and four women, from a house that appeared to be the target of the operation. They also said they treated a nearby resident and a young girl who lived in the house, whose entire family they said was killed.

Residents in the northern Idlib province said they heard helicopters about 1 a.m. local time, and later, what they described as the sound of heavy “clashes.”

Unconfirmed reports circulated that American forces were hunting a leader of the Islamic State or another local jihadist group. “There were no US casualties. More information will be provided as it becomes available,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.