Status: 03.02.2022 3:07 p.m
According to the White House, the leader of the terrorist militia IS died in a US attack in northwestern Syria. President Biden ordered the operation last night.
According to the White House, the leader of the terrorist group IS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Kurashi, was killed during a deployment of US troops in Syria. “Last night, on my orders, US forces successfully carried out an anti-terrorist operation in northwestern Syria to protect the American people and our allies and to make the world a safer place,” said US President Joe Biden. Al-Hashimi was eliminated “thanks to the skill and courage of our armed forces”.
A US official said al-Hashimi blew himself up early in the US operation, killing members of his family, “including women and children.” He succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in a 2019 US special forces raid in northwestern Syria.
Apparently several dead civilians
Biden further said that all Americans involved in the operation were unharmed. He announced that he would contact US citizens during the day and provide information about the operation.
Before Biden’s statement, the Pentagon and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had already reported on a US mission in northwestern Syria. According to the observatory, 13 people were killed, including seven civilians, including four children. First responders reported six children and four women.
Eyewitnesses reported the attack
Local residents and activists reported a large ground attack and US forces using loudspeakers to urge women and children to leave the area. They described the operation as the largest military operation since the killing of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019.
The observatory said troops from the US-led coalition had landed in the area by helicopter and attacked a house. There had been clashes with fighters on the ground.
Several civilians are said to have been killed in the US attack.
Image: dpa
IS tried to gain a stronger foothold again
Large parts of the north-western province of Idlib are controlled by fighters supported by Turkey. However, the area is also a stronghold of the Al Qaeda terrorist group. Other militant extremists have also found sanctuary in the region.
The operation came amid efforts by the terrorist group “Islamic State” to re-emerge in the area. She had recently carried out several attacks in the region. In the largest IS attack since the caliphate proclaimed by the terrorist group collapsed in 2019, a prison in north-eastern Syria was attacked to free IS members imprisoned there.