(HorizonPost.com) – On February 3, news outlets reported that US Special Operations commandos raided a house in a Syrian town near Turkey’s border in search of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. As the troops closed in on the suspect, he detonated a bomb, killing members of his family and himself. Rescuers in the area confirmed women and children were among the dead. President Joe Biden appeared on television after the fact to announce America has the ability to “take out terrorist threats” wherever they may hide.
He went on to thank the troops for their bravery that led to the elimination of a significant ISIS threat.
BREAKING: Pres. Biden says that a U.S. raid in Syria killed the leader of ISIS. https://t.co/LlA8MCAWuL pic.twitter.com/SW1ENQUW4X
— ABC News (@ABC) February 3, 2022
There isn’t much information about the leader himself, except he replaced the previous Islamic State head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who also blew himself up to avoid capture in late 2019.
Experts believe al-Qurayshi’s death was a big hit to the terrorist organization and a big win for US counterterrorism. Some analysts say it’ll be challenging for ISIS to find another leader with a reputation known to the network, while others think the group already has someone new lined up. However, since there’s no obvious replacement, US forces may have difficulty identifying the next target.
There were at least 13 people killed in the blast including the terrorist leader. Fortunately, though, the Pentagon’s press secretary announced there were “no US casualties.”
Copyright 2022, HorizonPost.com
