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The leader of the Islamic State (IS) group has been killed in an overnight US special forces raid in north-west Syria, US President Joe Biden has said. Syrian first responders said they found the bodies of 13 people after the raid. The operation targeted a two-storey residential building on the outskirts of the opposition-held town of Atmeh, which is in northern Idlib province and is close to the border with Turkey. The region is a stronghold of jihadist groups that are fierce rivals of IS, as well as Turkish-backed rebel factions fighting the Syrian government.

Colin Clarke, Director of Policy and Research at The Soufan Group, says that Abu Ibrahim al-Qurayshi has been the head of IS since 2019 and that his death was a "really big deal" and a blow to the group's operations.

Photo: The likely main target of the raid on the outskirts of Atmeh Credit: EPA