Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was among thirteen killed in the overnight raid by US Special Forces on Wednesday night, with six children and four women reported to be amongst the dead. The carnage followed a two-hour raid on a house in the north-western town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border with Syria, and culminated in the ISIS chief detonating an explosive device which wiped out him and horrifyingly members of his own family.
Reports reveal how several US helicopters reportedly landed on the outskirts of the town, held by opposition forces to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, around midnight on Thursday (10pm GMT on Wednesday).
According to US officials, US forces faced fierce resistance from ISIS soldiers who are believed to have held back elite forces for almost two-hours in a deadly stand-off.
Local sources have told the BBC how US special forces also came under heavy fire from anti-aircraft guns mounted on vehicles.
But one video from a Syrian reporter appears to show the moment a US helicopter launches a volley of rounds in a deafening attack on the compound.
JUST IN ‘We’ll come after you!’ Biden brutal warning to terrorists as ISIS head ‘blows himself up’
Rounds appear to pelt buildings and light up the ground around the house where fierce fighting unfolds between militants and US Special Forces.
The thunder of the helicopter blades can also be clearly heard in the footage.
The New York Times also reported how a US helicopter was abandoned and later destroyed by a US airstrike after a technical malfunction.
An injured girl, believed to be related to some of those killed in the raid, alongside a local man who was injured after approaching the compound, were taken to hospital following the attack.
READ MORE ‘Blood everywhere’ ISIS boss killed in US strike as six children left dead
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday following the successful mission, US President Joe Biden said: “Thanks to the bravery of our Armed Forces, we have removed from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of ISIS.”
Mr Biden went on to note that no Americans involved in the operation were killed adding the mission was to “protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place”.
While he warned ISIS and America’s enemies: “We remain clear, last night’s operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield and has sent a strong message to terrorists around the world. We will come after you and find you.”
Former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by elite US Delta Force units in 2019 only 10km away from Wednesday evening’s assault, he also blew himself up, killing himself and his family.
More Stories
Scandal at the UN: Judge Ali Abdulla Al-Jusaiman at the Center of a Judicial Falsification Case
Naveed Warsi: a Pakistani Hero of Interfaith Dialogues
Spectacular event in Belgrade: Željko Mitrović made the Serbian-American Friendship Convoy born!