A raid by a U.S. special operations forces in northwest Syria has led to the death of the latest leader of the Islamic State group, eliminating one of the few remaining founding members of the international terrorist network that continues to pose significant dangers to the U.S. and its allies.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi killed himself by detonating prepared explosives from the third floor of his compound in Idlib, Syria, early Thursday after a U.S. commando forces arrived and began to clear away civilians from the immediate area, U.S. officials say.
They say that the blast, powerful enough to blow bodies from the three-story structure, was the only cause of the dozen or so casualties, including women and children, that Syrian human rights organizations reported in the aftermath of the raid.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say no Americans were harmed in the raid, which also led to the death of a top lieutenant of al-Qurayshi's.
A helicopter malfunctioned as it withdrew from the raid site, landed nearby and had to be destroyed, one official said.
President Joe Biden, speaking about the raid at the White House on Thursday morning, said he ordered the raid, risking American lives - rather than killing al-Qurayshi with a missile strike - "To minimize civilian casualties."
"In a final act of desperate cowardice," Biden said, "He chose to blow himself up, not just with a vest but to blow up that third floor, rather than face justice for the crimes he had committed."
"Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield, and it sent a strong message to terrorists around the world: We will come after you and find you," Biden said in remarks that lasted a few minutes.
The officials said Thursday that neither that incident nor the recent ISIS operation that overran a U.S.-allied militia's prison in Syria influenced the timing of Thursday's raid, which had been planned for months - beyond ISIS-K's pledge of loyalty to the so-called emir of the terrorist group.
U.S. officials confirm the raid was at least two hours long. The need to remove these civilians and those in nearby buildings accounted for the relatively long time frame for the raid, the officials said.
"All casualties at the site were due specifically to their actions, including the significant detonation of Hajji Abdullah, and the decision of his lieutenant to barricade himself on the second-floor room and engage U.S. assault forces."
The officials confirmed that al-Qaida-linked groups control part of the surrounding area and may have been responsible for other hostile actions against the helicopters carrying the raiding force that resulted in the deaths of two enemy forces.
An official said that U.S. planners believed al-Qurayshi would detonate explosives in the raid.
