Islamic State group leader killed in military operation in Syria, US says

The US military has “eliminated from the battlefield” the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group Abu Ibrahim Al-Hachimi Al-Qurachi during an operation conducted in northern Syria on the night of Wednesday February 2 to Thursday February 3, announced President Joe Biden.

All American soldiers are safe and sound, said the president, who announced that he would address the American people later in the morning.

According to a senior US official, the IS leader died in an explosion he caused during the US raid. “At the start of the operation, the terrorist target detonated a bomb which killed him and members of his own family including women and children”, he said.

More information to come