US special forces kill top ISIS leader in raid in Syria

U.S. special forces overnight killed top leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in a large-scale raid in northwestern Syria, President Biden said Thursday morning.

"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,” Biden said in a statement. All Americans involved in the operation returned safely, according to the president, who is scheduled to provide more details later today about the raid.

Thirteen people, including six children and four women, were reportedly killed in the roughly two-hour U.S. operation in which special forces arrived in helicopters and clashed with gunmen at a house near the Turkish border, according to the Associated Press.

The death count is from witnesses. The Pentagon provided no details on casualties but initially said no U.S. forces had been killed in the raid. 

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi took over as leader of the militant group in October 2019, after U.S. forces killed then-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the same area.

Biden also said he ordered the raid to "protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place," amid a resurgence of ISIS in the region, including a 10-day assault in late January to seize a prison, the wire service reported.