Women and children among residents killed in US-led Idlib raid

Survivors of the attack near the town of Atmeh in Idlib described a night of terror and uncertainty, listening to the sound of helicopters and gunshots from the raid that killed  IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
Atmeh compound
This handout provided by the U.S. Department of Defense shows the compound housing ISIS Leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi prior to a raid executed by U.S. forces, Feb., 2022 in Atmeh, Syria. It was reported that al-Qurayshi detonated an explosive device during the operation, killing himself and members of his family. - U.S. Department of Defense via Getty Images
Mouneb Taim
Mouneb Taim
@mouneb_taim

IDLIB, Syria — The US Department of Defense has confirmed that US Special Forces carried out a counterterrorism mission in Dayr Balut, northwest Syria, on Feb. 2, killing IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.

Charles Lister, director at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, explained on Twitter that the raid lasted for over two hours as the forces clearly wanted to get their target dead or alive. He noted that nothing of this scale has happened since former Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in October 2019.

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