WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the leader of ISIS is dead after a U.S. special operations raid in Syria.
ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed during an overnight U.S. military raid on a building in Syria.
“Thanks to the bravery of our troops, this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” President Biden said.
The president said al-Quarayshi used explosives to kill himself and several of his family members during the attack.
“In a final act of desperate cowardness, with no regard to the lives of his only family or others in the building, he chose to blow himself up,” Biden said.
First responders say 13 people were killed in the raid, including women and children. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says U.S. forces were able to safely evacuate 10 other people.
“We’re always mindful of the potential for civilian harm or harm to innocent life,” Kirby said.
President Biden said he specifically chose to go with a special forces raid to minimize civilian deaths. Using an airstrike would have been less risky for the troops, but could’ve killed more people.
American military officials say al-Quarayshi was responsible for several ISIS attacks in recent years and the genocide of the Yazidi people in Iraq.
Lawmakers, including Republican senators Roger Marshall and Mitt Romney, praised President Biden for the move.
“I stand behind the president on taking out this ISIS leader,” Marshall said.
“That’s very good news. Obviously, ISIS is a great threat to our interests – not only in the middle east and around the world,” Romney said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi celebrated the raid, but warned there’s more to do.
“The death of this ISIS leader does not mean the death of ISIS,” she said. “Congress remains ironclad in our commitment to our national security.”
President Biden promised to keep pressure on ISIS and terrorists around the world.
“We will come after you and find you,” Biden said.
