A US-led helicopter raid in Syria’s Idlib region netted a senior ISIS commander—possibly the group’s leader Abu Hafs al-Qurashi—along with French women, in a no-casualty operation.
In a daring pre-dawn commando strike, US-led coalition forces swooped into Idlib’s Āţimah village, arresting a high-ranking ISIS commander believed to be the terror group’s elusive leader, Abu Hafs al-Qurashi.
Eyewitnesses reported the roar of at least four helicopters descending on the northwest Syrian border town near Turkey as special forces stormed the area in coordination with Syria’s Internal Security Forces. Roads were swiftly sealed by Syrian units to prevent any escape.
Alongside the senior ISIS figure, several French women found in his company were also detained. Gunfire rattled the village during the lightning raid, but remarkably, no casualties or injuries have been confirmed.
If confirmed, the arrest of al-Qurashi—considered the shadowy mastermind of ISIS operations—would mark one of the most significant coalition victories since the fall of the group’s so-called caliphate.
