ISIS leader blows up himself and his whole family in US special forces raid on his Syrian bolthole

AN ISIS leader has blown up himself and his whole family during a US Special-Ops raid on his Syrian bolthole. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi detonated a bomb that killed him and members of his family, the White House said.  AFPAbu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi blew himself up during a raid by US Special forces in Syria[/caption] Reuters13 people, including six kids and four women, are believed to be among the dead[/caption] Thirteen are believed to have died, including six kids and four women, during the assault which involved 24 elite Special-Ops backed by fighter jets and helicopter gunships. “At the beginning of the operation, the terrorist target exploded a bomb that killed him and members of his own family, including women and children,” a senior administration official told Reuters President Joe Biden confirmed al-Qurayshi was “removed from the battlefield” during the overnight operation in a tweet on Thursday. In a statement, the President said: “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. “May God protect our troops.” Most read in The Sun MASON'S LIONS KO Greenwood banished by England as Southgate rules out star amid rape probe BLACK THURSDAY Price rises hit millions TODAY as cost of living crisis grips the nation BEDDER BELIEVE I gave up my bedroom & made a split room for my kids with an Ikea unit TRAGIC 'MURDER' Teen 'stabbed to death' weeks after flying to England to be with bf OUTEN MY OWN Denise Van Outen's cheating ex-fiance takes bitter swipe at star in Insta post SHIFTING SAND Sandler quits Man City after ZERO Prem appearances in three-and-a-half years Al-Qurashi became ISIS leader after former head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a similar raid by US forces in 2019 in the nearby town of Barisha. Al-Qurashi, also known as Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla and two other aliases, was a senior terrorist leader in ISIS’s predecessor organisation, Al Qaeda in Iraq, and steadily rose through the ranks to become deputy leader, according to Rewards for Justice. He spearheaded the campaign to abduction, rape, and slaughter thousands of Yazidis in northwest Iraq and was on the US State Department’s most wanted list since March 2020. At least 13 people were reportedly killed, including six children and four women, when US special forces swooped in on a home in northwestern Syria on Thursday. The operation – which residents say lasted over two hours – took place in Atmeh, a village near the border with Turkey that is home to thousands of Syrian refugees. Earlier, Pentagon confirmed US special ops had carried out what it called a “successful” counter-terrorism mission. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said: “U.S. Special Operations forces under the control of U.S. Central Command conducted a counterterrorism mission this evening in northwest Syria. The mission was successful. There were no U.S. casualties.” It comes as haunting images emerge of body parts scattered around al-Qurashi’s home in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province. Jamil el-Deddo, a resident at a nearby refugee camp, told the AP: “The first moments were terrifying, no one knew what was happening. “We were worried it could be Syrian aircraft, which brought back memories of barrel bombs that used to be dropped on us.” The top floor of the house was almost completely destroyed while blood could also be seen on the walls and floor of the remaining structure and a bedroom with a child’s wooden crib on the floor. On another damaged wall, a blue plastic children’s swing was still hanging and a nearby kitchen was blackened with fire damage. Other residents – who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals – said they heard helicopters, explosions and machine-gun fire. This was the largest raid in the province since the 2019 Trump-era U.S. assault that killed the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Idlib is broadly controlled by Turkey-backed fighters, but is also an al-Qaida stronghold and home to several of its top operatives. Other militants, including extremists from the rival IS group, have also found refuge in the region. The Syrian Civil Defense and first responders known as the White Helmets confirmed 13 people were killed in shelling and clashes that ensued after U.S. the commando raid. They included six children and four women, it said. Witnesses described seeing a large ground assault, with U.S. forces using megaphones urging women and children to leave the area. Omar Saleh, a nearby resident, said the doors and windows of his house started to rattle to the sound of low-flying aircraft at 1:10 a.m. local time. He then heard a man, speaking Arabic with an Iraqi or Saudi accent through a loudspeaker, urging women to surrender or leave the area. This went on for 45 minutes. There was no response. Then the machine gun fire erupted, Saleh said. He said the firing continued for two hours, as aircraft circled low over the area. We were worried it could be Syrian aircraft, which brought back memories of barrel bombs that used to be dropped on us Atmeh resident Jamil el-Deddo Others reported hearing at least one major explosion during the operation. A U.S. official said that one of the helicopters in the raid suffered a mechanical problem and had to be blown up on the ground. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops for the U.S.-led coalition using helicopters landed in the area and attacked a house. It said the force clashed with fighters on the ground. The military operation got attention on social media, with tweets from the region describing helicopters firing around the building near Atmeh. The U.S. has in the past used drones to kill top al-Qaida operatives in Idlib, which at one point was home to the groups biggest concentration of leaders since the days of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. The fact that special forces landed on the ground suggest the target was believed to be of high value. A similar attack in Pakistan, in 2011, killed bin Laden. Thursday’s clandestine operation came as the Islamic State group was reasserting itself in Syria and Iraq, carrying out some of its biggest attacks since it was defeated in 2019. In recent weeks and months, the group has launched a series of operations in the region, including a 10-day assault late last month to seize a prison in northeastern Syria. APThe top level of the house was almost completely destroyed[/caption] APThe raid took place at a home near the border with Turkey[/caption] APWitnesses recounted seeing blood on across the walls of the house[/caption] ReutersSources believe the house was home to ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and his family[/caption] Avalon.redThis is the largest raid in Syria since 2019[/caption]