Biden says Islamic State leader Qurayshi killed in US raid in Syria

[WASHINGTON] Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed during a US counter-terrorism operation in northwest Syria Wednesday night, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

"Last night at my direction, US military forces in northwest Syria successfully undertook a counter-terrorism operation to protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place," Biden said.

Qurayshi detonated a bomb that killed himself and members of his family, including women and children, at the beginning of the operation, according to a senior US official.

Qurayshi took over as leader of the terror organisation after former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a US raid in 2019, and oversaw the group's attacks on the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq.

Though the influence of the group waned as the US largely eliminated its territorial holdings in recent years, the group was never completely eradicated and has stepped up terror attacks in recent months. Biden is expected to address the nation about the mission later in Washington from the White House.

BLOOMBERG