Delta Force, the world’s most elite military unit, conducted the northwest Syrian raid that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, one source with direct knowledge of the situation and a second with knowledge of the situation told the Daily Caller.
Delta Force is the Army’s tier-one unit responsible for multiple highly classified and highly dangerous raids. The unit has received multiple awards for its involvement in operations such as Operation Acid Gambit and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Delta Force was also involved in the raid leading to former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death in 2019 and the 2003 capture of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
U.S. officials and President Joe Biden have said that special operations forces conducted a late-night rate on Wednesday evening, resulting in al-Qurayshi’s death. While there were no U.S. casualties, multiple people – including children and women – were killed when al-Qurayshi detonated a suicide vest mid-raid, according to the Biden administration.
A longer piece of footage showing the outside and inside of the building reportedly attacked in the US raid https://t.co/Mox6Ltz9ku
— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) February 3, 2022
The source with direct knowledge of the situation added that other units were involved in the operation “in a support role.” (RELATED: U.S. Forces Kill Another Top ISIS Official)
The raid had been in the works for months, and Biden ultimately gave Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin the “final go” Tuesday morning in the Oval Office, according to officials.
The Delta Force operation was made more difficult because al-Qurayshi lived in a residential building with what U.S. officials believe were innocent families on the first floor.
Biden noted his goal was to minimize civilian casualties, citing this as reason why the administration opted against an airstrike.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.