For nearly two decades, the man who came to be known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was a central figure in the terror juggernaut that became the Islamic State. From fighter, to prisoner, strategist to leader, there were not many parts of the insurgency in which the 46-year-old jihadist had not had a hand.
18:42
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the U.S. evacuated 10 people, including children, from the raid area.
U.S. forces also engaged in a firefight with one of Quraishi’s lieutenants and the lieutenant’s wife. Both the lieutenant and his wife were killed, “and it appears as if a child was also killed” in the area, he added.
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Summary
The leader of Islamic State and one of the world’s most wanted men has been killed during an overnight raid in Syria by US special forces.
Here are the main developments:
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died in the village of Atme, just 9 miles from where his predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed during a similar US raid in October 2019.
The pre-dawn attack on a house led to up to 13 casualties, among them women and children.
Without reference to the raid, Unicef confirmed at least six children were killed in Atme overnight.
In a White House address, JoeBiden said Qurayshi blew himself up the third floor, killing his own family members.
US officials said the raid was planned for months and lasted two hours.
Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon has “strong, strong indications” that civilian deaths in the raid were not caused by US forces.
However, the Pentagon said it was willing to review the operation.
My colleague Nadeem Badshah is going to take over the blog.
18:16
Kirby clarifies, “There has been no decision to do a review or an investigation, right now.”
“We are willing to take a look,” he adds.
18:07
However, Kirby adds: “Nobody is taking a victory lap here.”
Islamic State is still a threat, he says.
18:05
Asked about the impact of this on the power of Islamic State, Kirby says: “They are leaderless today, and that is a significant blow.”
Note: Qurayshi took over as head of Islamic State just days after his predecessor, al-Baghdadi, blew himself up during a similar US raid in the same area.
18:02
The operation was planned for months, Kirby says, but the US had to factor in Qurayshi’s daily schedule, weather and other variables, which is why it happened today.
17:57
“We don’t have perfect knowledge of every single person who was killed,” Kirby says.
17:53
Kirby says fingerprints and DNA analysis confirmed the deceased as Qurayshi.