Merve Aydogan
03 February 2022•Update: 04 February 2022
ANKARA
The so-called leader of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group was killed in an operation by US military forces on Wednesday night, the American president said on Thursday.
In a statement, Joe Biden announced the counterterrorism operation in northwestern Syria "to protect the American people and our Allies, and make the world a safer place."
Saying that the US Armed Forces have "taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi -- the leader of ISIS," Biden further noted that all US forces safely returned from the operation.
At a press conference from White House, Biden said the slain leader oversaw the spread of ISIS-affiliated terrorist groups around the world and was also responsible for the recent attack on a prison in northeast Syria holding ISIS fighters.
"Thanks to the bravery of our troops, this horrible terrorist leader is no more," said Biden.
Biden also said he directed the Department of Defense to take every precaution possible to minimize civilian casualties and Pentagon chose a Special Forces raid rather than targeting with an airstrike.
"But we do know that as our troops approach to capture the terrorist and a final act of desperate cowardness he, with no regard to the lives of his own family or others in the building, chose to blow himself up... rather than face justice for the crimes he has committed, taking several members of his family with him just as his predecessor did," said Biden referring to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was named the new leader of Daesh/ISIS in 2019 after the US killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi earlier that year.
"Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield and has sent a strong message to terrorists around the world. We will come after you and find you," he concluded.
