By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Steve Holland AMMAN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The leader of the jihadist group Islamic State died in a U.S. special forces raid in northern Syria on Thursday when he detonated a bomb that killed him and family members, the U.S. administration said. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi had led the group since the death of its founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was also killed when he detonated explosives during a U.S. raid in 2019. Thanks to the skill and bravery of our armed forces, we have taken off the battlefield.the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement. Quraishi had remained largely in the shadows since succceeding Baghdadi who led the group at the height of its self-declared caliphate, when it controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq and ruled over millions of people. Since its defeat on the battlefield nearly three years ago, the group has been waging insurgent attacks in Iraq and Syria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. forces rehearsed the helicopter raid over and over, hoping to capture Islamic State's leader on the third floor of a residential building in a Syrian town on the Turkish border, where he was holed up with his family.
Inside US raid on ISIS leader: Months of preparation, then a deadly blast bworldonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bworldonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.