On Thursday night, February 3, ISIS leader Abu Ibraham al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed after a raid that was conducted by U.S. Special Forces. After months of preparation from military intelligence and countless training exercises by the special forces, President Joe Biden gave the green light on Tuesday morning. Pentagon Chief Spokesman, John F. Kirby, stated that “A lot of factors had line[d] up to be just right,” such as confidence over intelligence, weather, and timing/lighting conditions. Kirby stated that Thursday night “was the best window to execute the mission”.
The raid consisted of about two-dozen Delta Force operators, with Apache helicopters and Reaper drones providing heavy support. Around midnight, the task force was deployed into formation surrounding the target’s house in Atmeh, a town in Syria near the border of Turkey. According to neighbors, the surrounding Americans used loudspeakers to call for the surrender of all people inside of the house. Shortly after, the house exploded, and a large firefight ensued. Witnesses described heavy fire from Delta Force operators and Apache helicopters, as well as apparent missile strikes. One of the American helicopters malfunctioned, but the pilots were able to safely land, and the helicopter was deliberately destroyed by the US military. Three hours later, after fighting died down, the American soldiers were picked back up in helicopters and left. During after-action reports, it was determined that the explosion that destroyed the house was a suicide vest detonated by Abu Ibraham al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi himself, to avoid being captured and interrogated. It was also determined by rescue workers that there were 13 civilian casualties in the target house. US military officials had chosen to perform a Special Forces raid over a drone strike to “minimize civilian casualties,” according to President Biden. Chief Spokesman Kirby stated that, “To the degree there’s loss of innocent lives, it’s caused by [al-Qurayshi] and his lieutenants”.
Al-Qurayshi is now the third Jihadi leader to be taken down by US forces since 2011, whenPresident Obama oversaw Operation Neptune Spear, in which US Navy Seals raided the compound of Osama bin Laden, killing him in the process. In 2019, President Trump supervised Operation Kayla Mueller, in which Delta Force, Army Rangers, and Night Stalkers eliminated then ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Al-Qurayshi, succeeding al-Baghdadi, kept a low profile for the past 3 years, allowing him to avoid being attacked by American forces, until an unknown intel source tipped off his location. Despite the recent successes by the American military, Kirby stated that “No one’s taking a victory lap,” as ISIS and other extremist groups can still pose a large threat to global safety. Nevertheless, the war on terror continues.
