Biden says Syria raid sent a 'strong message' to terrorists: 'We will come after you and find you'

After announcing the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — who the U.S. killed during an overnight raid in Syria — President Biden issued formal remarks on the mission during a Thursday morning address.
"Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield, and it sent a strong message to terrorists around the world: We will come after you and find you," Biden said.
"Once again today, we continue our unceasing effort to keep the American people safe, and the strength and security of our allies and partners around the world," he continued.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden had previously confirmed that all Americans "returned safely from the operation." Though there were no U.S. casualties, four women and six children were reportedly killed, per The Associated Press.
During his remarks, the president also noted that U.S. troops opted to target al-Qurayshi with a special forces raid "at a much greater risk to our own people" rather than an airstrike. "We made this choice to minimize civilian casualties," Biden said.
In what the president described as "a final act of desperate cowardice," the ISIS leader died "by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family ... as U.S. forces approached."
A senior administration official told NPR that "all casualties at the site were due to the acts of ISIS terrorists."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
How much should doctors trust parental intuition?
In The Spotlight Study finds parents' concern can be better at spotting critical illness than vital signs
-
How to go on your own Race Across the World
The Week Recommends The BBC hit show is inspiring fans to choose low-budget adventures
-
The rebirth of Monaco
The Week Recommends The billionaires' playground is pulling out all the stops to entice Gen Z
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracy
Talking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media