Lauding the skill and bravery of the US Armed forces, US President Joe Biden on Thursday said that leader of the ISIS Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi has been taken off battlefield in a raid conducted in Syria. According to a senior US official, the IS leader blew himself up during the operation, which was carried out by the US military at night in the northwestern Syria.
"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-Hashimi al-Qurashi — the leader of ISIS," Biden added.
Biden further confirmed that all army personnel returned safely to the base. The US president will deliver his remarks on the operation later today.
As per the US official, the bomb detonated by the IS leader resulted in the death of his own family members, including women and children. Al-Quraishi was appointed as the leader of the terror group after the killing of IS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019. Al-Quraishi was also once held in US custody.
