Pentagon details US raid that led to death of Daesh/ISIS leader

WASHINGTON

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby provided more details Thursday about the operation that killed the leader of the Daesh/ISIS terror group in northwestern Syria.

An overnight raid by American special forces on a building on the outskirts of Atma in northern Idbil led to the death of Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, also known Hajji Abdullah.

Al-Qurayshi blew himself up on the third floor of the building, killing his wife and two children. His body was identified through fingerprints and DNA analysis at the site, said Kirby.

Al-Qurayshi's aide and aide’s wife engaged in gunfire with US forces from the second floor and were also killed.

US forces evacuated 10 people from the first floor, who Kirby said were an adult male and adult female and four children, and then four children from the second floor.

Four civilians, including three children, were killed during the operation, he said.

When asked by Anadolu Agency if those who were evacuated were under custody, Kirby said there was no one in US custody as a result of the operation.

In addition, Kirby said a small group of individuals approached the compound during the mission, adding "they were appropriately deemed as hostile and they were engaged and we know that in that engagement, two of them were killed."

He said the operation was a months-long planning mission.

The YPG, the Syrian branch of PKK, assisted in the operation that was conducted by US forces, according to the spokesman.

At least 13 people, including six children and four women, were killed during the special operations forces raid said, civil defense units.

Sources told Anadolu Agency one of the occupants of the house was taken by US forces.

Al-Qurayshi was named the new leader of Daesh/ISIS in 2019 after the US killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi earlier that year.

*Kasim Ileri contributed to the story