U.S. special forces killed the top leader of ISIS in an overnight raid in Syria, Biden announced Thursday morning.
“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,” Biden said in a statement.
He added that all Americans involved in the mission returned safely.
According to witnesses, thirteen people were reportedly killed in the roughly two-hour U.S. operation - including six children and four women.
Special forces arrived in helicopters and clashed with gunmen at a house near the Turkish border, Just the News reports.
A senior administration official said al-Qurayshi died at the beginning of the operation when he exploded a bomb that killed him and members of his family.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi took over as leader of the militant group in October 2019 after the U.S. forces killed the former leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in the same area.
Biden also said he ordered the raid to “protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place,” amid a resurgence of ISIS in the region.
