U.S. Raid Leads to ISIS Leader’s Death

Image Courtesy of ABC News

By Jeremy Perillo

The United States conducted a counterterrorism raid that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi on Wednesday, February 2. President Joe Biden, informing the public of the mission in northwest Syria, lauded al-Qurayshi’s death as a win for global security.

“Thanks to the bravery of our troops, this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said from the White House. “Knowing that terrorist had chosen to surround himself with families, including children, we made a choice to pursue a Special Forces raid at a much a greater risk to our own people rather than targeting him with an airstrike.”

While there were no U.S. casualties in the raid, the ISIS leader blew himself up as U.S. forces approached the compound, killing himself and members of his family, including women and children. Reports indicate that thirteen individuals were killed in the blast, including six children and four women. 

Such a ‘success’ for the Biden administration comes after the flawed Afghanistan pull out in August, which led many security and military officials to be concerned about what it could mean for the terrorist organization. At present, however, the raid offers a win for Biden, with many Republicans acknowledging that the world is safer without al-Qurayshi. Senator Marco Rubio called the raid “significant,” but remains concerned over ISIS’s evolving presence in Afghanistan.

“At the same time, we [got to] keep a very close eye on what’s happening in Afghanistan, where ISIS is increasingly flowing personnel and leadership, and we would not be able to conduct such an operation,” said the Florida senator. “Let me put it this way: it’s a lot harder to do that in Afghanistan, if that’s where that guy would have been.”

Following continued counterterrorism operations by the U.S. and its allies, many in ISIS’ inner circle have been killed, drawing down the once-large pool that the group could pull from to lead the organization. According to a recent analysis of attack data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the group’s potency seems to be waning, perhaps as a condition of its weak leadership and unrelenting opponents. While it might be easy to write the group off now, it was regarded as a dying force in 2014, where it surged and gained solid control over cities in Syria and Iraq. Experts monitoring the group are not confident in the final trajectory of the group because of the potential flexibility in its success.

Biden and his administration are facing many issues at home and abroad: COVID, Russia/Ukraine, China, Biden and his administration are facing many issues at home and abroad including: COVID, Russia/Ukraine, China, and polarization, to name a few. Such an operation rings as an opportunity for the administration to tout success, but there will require a concerted effort to continue monitoring ISIS as the fate of the group remains uncertain.