Admin l Friday, Feb.04, 2022
PENTAGON – Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has revealed how the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died in Syria.
Austin Lloyd who was addressing a press conference in Washington said Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died last night when he detonated an explosive device during a U.S. military operation meant to kill or capture him.
Senior Pentagon official added that an ISIS deputy and some of al-Qurayshi’s family members were killed when al-Qurayshi detonated the explosive device.
“The professionalism, skill and readiness of our troops — honed through relentless rehearsal — has dealt ISIS a severe blow and has helped make our country and our fellow citizens safer,” Austin said in a statement this morning.
According to him, al-Qurayshi, also known as Haji Abdullah, provided near constant operational guidance to ISIS fighters, including the prison break and attack at Hasakah and the slaughter of Yazidis in Iraq.
“He is now off the battlefield and out of command and cannot threaten any more lives,” Austin said.
The secretary praised U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command for their superb support to the planning and execution of this mission. “I’ve been involved with enough of these sorts of operations to know how difficult they are to mount and how meticulously they must be planned and resourced.”
He said Special Operations forces took extraordinary measures to avoid civilian harm.
Also speaking earlier today President Joe Biden said he is grateful for the immense courage, skill and determination of our U.S. forces who skillfully executed this incredibly challenging mission.
“The members of our military are the solid steel backbone of this nation, ready to fly into danger at a moment’s notice to keep our country and the American people safe, as well as our allies. I’m also grateful to the families of our service members,” he said.
Biden said the department will continue to work with them, as well as the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, and more than 80 members of the global coalition, to keep pressure on ISIS.
