President Biden said the attack on Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was designed to minimize civilian casualties, but then the terrorist leader set off a bomb.
ISIS Leader Kills Himself With a Bomb During U.S. Raid in Syria
President Biden said the leader of the Islamic State died during a raid by U.S. Special Operation forces. All of the American troops returned safely from the operation, he said.
Knowing that this terrorist had chosen to surround himself with families, including children, we made a choice to pursue a special forces raid at a much greater risk than to our own people, rather than targeting him with an airstrike. We made this choice to minimize civilian casualties. This operation is testament to America’s reach and capability to take out terrorist threats, no matter where they try to hide anywhere in the world.
Eric Schmitt and
A risky predawn raid by U.S. Special Operations forces that resulted in the death of the Islamic State’s leader on Thursday was set in motion months ago with a tip that the top terrorist was hiding out on the top floor of a house in northwest Syria.
In brief remarks at the White House, President Biden said the decision to send about two dozen helicopter-borne commandos to capture or kill the leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was made to minimize the risk of civilian harm. Military officials said attacking with a bomb or a missile would have been safer for the troops but could have endangered more than a dozen civilians in the house, including several children.
“We made a choice to pursue a Special Forces raid, at a much greater risk than our — to our own people, rather than targeting him with an airstrike,” Mr. Biden said. “We made this choice to minimize civilian casualties.”
Aides said Mr. Biden had approved the raid on Tuesday morning after months of military planning, including dozens of rehearsals and an exercise involving a tabletop model of the building. On Thursday, he called the operation a warning to all terrorist groups. “This operation is testament to America’s reach and capability to take out terrorist threats no matter where they try to hide anywhere in the world,” he said.
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