ISIS leader dies during U.S. raid

Special forces carried out the overnight operation in northwestern Syria, targeting Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and another Islamic State (ISIS) leader living in an apartment building. A firefight killed the lieutenant and his wife. Al-Qurayshi detonated a suicide bomb just before troops reached him, instantly killing himself, his wife, and at least one of his two children. First responders reported 13 people died, including six children and four women. Al-Qurayshi took power in 2019 and kept a low profile, rarely leaving his apartment and communicating primarily through couriers. It is unclear how his death will affect the terror group.

Why a raid? President Joe Biden said the Army opted for a special operation to minimize civilian deaths. A family lived on the first floor and did not know ISIS leaders in the building were effectively using them as human shields, the Army said. Commandos evacuated them and four children from the second floor. No Americans died, and all service members have returned home safely.

Dig deeper: Read a Saturday Series excerpt of a book by Petr Jasek, who spent 445 days in a Sudanese prison with ISIS cellmates.