Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
ATMEH, SYRIA — The Pentagon says one of its drones spotted a one-legged, bearded man bathing on a rooftop in Syria, and this is what sparked a Delta Force commando raid that killed the leader of ISIS. Here are the details:
The New York Times reports that Pentagon officials said they received a tip and then used a spy drone to identify the leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who was killed on Thursday, February 3.
The terrorist was identified as living in a rooftop apartment in the Syrian town of Atmeh. A commando team led by Delta Force soldiers then trained for months, using mock-ups of the three-storey building.
The team set off in helicopters from a base 800 miles away, having to refuel multiple times during the night-time flight.
As they approached the target they received air cover from helicopter gunships, armed drones and attack jets.
Upon landing, the team took fire from multiple locations, but were able to form a ring around the target building, where they used bullhorns to order everyone out of the building.
Almost immediately, an explosive device detonated inside al-Qurayshi’s apartment, killing him and his family.
The commandos then stormed in and engaged al-Qurayshi’s top lieutenant and his wife on the second floor, killing both.
Rescue workers later said women and children were among at least 13 killed during the assault.
The Pentagon said that 10 people, including eight children, were safely evacuated. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said the military would review whether the mission had harmed civilians.
SOURCES: New York Times, BBC
nytimes.com/2022/02/10/us/politics/abu-ibrahim-al-hashimi-al-qurayshi-isis.html?
bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-60246129
ATMEH, SYRIA — The Pentagon says one of its drones spotted a one-legged, bearded man bathing on a rooftop in Syria, and this is what sparked a Delta Force commando raid that killed the leader of ISIS. Here are the details:
The New York Times reports that Pentagon officials said they received a tip and then used a spy drone to identify the leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who was killed on Thursday, February 3.
The terrorist was identified as living in a rooftop apartment in the Syrian town of Atmeh. A commando team led by Delta Force soldiers then trained for months, using mock-ups of the three-storey building.
The team set off in helicopters from a base 800 miles away, having to refuel multiple times during the night-time flight.
As they approached the target they received air cover from helicopter gunships, armed drones and attack jets.
Upon landing, the team took fire from multiple locations, but were able to form a ring around the target building, where they used bullhorns to order everyone out of the building.
Almost immediately, an explosive device detonated inside al-Qurayshi’s apartment, killing him and his family.
The commandos then stormed in and engaged al-Qurayshi’s top lieutenant and his wife on the second floor, killing both.
Rescue workers later said women and children were among at least 13 killed during the assault.
The Pentagon said that 10 people, including eight children, were safely evacuated. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said the military would review whether the mission had harmed civilians.
SOURCES: New York Times, BBC
nytimes.com/2022/02/10/us/politics/abu-ibrahim-al-hashimi-al-qurayshi-isis.html?
bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-60246129
