“Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces in the northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our Allies, and make the world a safer place. 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. All Americans have returned safely from the operation. I will deliver remarks to the American people later this morning. May God protect our troops” – Statement from President Joe Biden.
Axios’s Alayna Treene reports a Biden Administration official said al-Qurayshi blew himself and his family up as US forces surrounded his compound. “While we are still assessing the results of this operation, this appears to be the same cowardly terrorist tactic we saw in the 2019 operation that eliminated [former ISIS leader Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi.”