US President Joe Biden announced the killing of the leader of the Islamic State, Abdullah Qardash, nicknamed Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashemi Al-Qurashi, in an operation carried out last night by the US army in northwest Syria, while a US official said that Qardash blew himself up during the attack and killed his family members in the operation.

Biden added, in a statement at the White House, Thursday evening, that the military operation was directed by him, and that its goal was "to protect the American people and America's allies and make the world safer."

“Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the leader of the Islamic State, was removed from the battlefield thanks to the skill and courage of the American armed forces,” Biden said, and that “all Americans involved in the operation returned safely.”


Air drop

And the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced earlier - today, Thursday - that US special forces "successfully carried out an air landing operation" in northwest Syria last night, and said that the landing ended without any casualties among the American soldiers.

In the same context, Reuters news agency quoted a US administration official as confirming that there had been casualties among civilians "as a result of militants detonating an explosive device" during the US attack.

The official added that the leader of the Islamic State blew himself up during the attack, killing his family members, including women and children, and that the US forces blew up a helicopter that was damaged during the airdrop.

The US official said that "it is not possible to disclose now whether there were bodies taken from the site of the operation."

Joe Biden in a meeting with his administration officials at the White House while following up on the US military operation (Al-Jazeera)

Operation details

In the details of what happened during the operation, various sources said that US helicopters flew over the "Atma" and "Deir Ballout" areas in the northern countryside of Idlib in Syria.

It began with warning strikes, and the overflight of at least two helicopters, according to the residents, followed by an airdrop in the vicinity of the town at exactly one o'clock and five minutes after midnight.

After that, gunfire was heard, and helicopters carried out more than 4 raids on the two-storey building where the leader of the Islamic State was staying.

And earlier today, Thursday, Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the international coalition forces carried out an airdrop that targeted a house in the northern countryside of Idlib;

As a result, at least 12 were killed, including children.

The correspondent reported - quoting local sources - that helicopters of the International Coalition flew over the Atma and Deir Ballut areas in the northern countryside of Idlib, and carried out an airdrop in the vicinity of Atma town;

It killed 12 people, including 7 children and 3 women.

The reporter added that the coalition warplanes - which Washington formed to fight the Islamic State a few years ago - launched 6 attacks with heavy machine guns, and the sound of clashes was heard after the airdrops.

Later, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that the wreckage of an American plane had been found in the countryside of Afrin (northwestern Syria), which participated in the airdrop near the town of Atma.

For its part, the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) said that at least 13 people - including 6 children and 4 women - were killed by bombing and clashes following the US airdrop.

One resident said rescuers had pulled at least 12 bodies from under the rubble of a multi-storey building, including children and women.

One of the sources said that anti-aircraft missiles were fired by the opposition fighters, while witnesses confirmed that the raid ended with the helicopters leaving the place.

Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi was wanted by the US Army (social networking sites)

former wanted

After the killing of the former leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in October 2019, the organization appointed Abdullah Qardash - also nicknamed "Haji Abdullah" - as his successor, an Iraqi who had previously been imprisoned in the United States.

US forces killed Qardash in approximately the same area where the killing of al-Baghdadi was carried out on October 27, 2019.

Since assuming his duties as successor to al-Baghdadi, al-Qurashi has not appeared in public or in any of the organization's publications, and not much is known about him or his movements.

Intelligence reports previously revealed his real name, Amir Muhammad Abd al-Rahman al-Mawla al-Salbi, whom the United States had allocated in August 2019 a financial reward of $5 million for any information that leads to him.

Washington doubled the reward in June 2020 to $10 million, weeks after placing it on its blacklist of "international terrorists".

Al-Mawla assumed his duties a few days after Al-Baghdadi was killed on the night of October 27, 2019 in a US military operation in Idlib (northwestern Syria).