Decades of attempts to take down the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have now culminated in its leader being eliminated during a United States raid last week. Executed in northwestern Syria, the Feb. 2 strike aimed to resist terrorist attacks in the region. The strike turned into the biggest incursion since 2019, when the old ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was eliminated.

A Sunni jihadist group, ISIS is considered a terrorist organization, utilizing violence against civilians to attain the ultimate goal of claiming all Muslim states through religion. In 2021, the group claimed 87 attacks causing 149 casualties on average per month. The group mostly focuses its attacks on Syria and Iraq, but, by extension, every strike involves other countries like the U.S.

Current leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi killed himself during the counterrorist raid led by the U.S. special forces ordered by President Joe Biden. From the reports, it was said that al-Qurayshi blew himself up along with his family members when he saw American forces approaching to avoid getting arrested.

The explosion harmed civilians, but the number of casualties is still being debated between the U.S. and Syria. However, the United States Department of Defense announced that there were no American victims.

Just in late January, ISIS members assaulted the main prison in Syria that was allegedly holding extremists. In the fight where 12 Kurdish soldiers lost their lives, the U.S. backed up the Kurds, who were battling against one of the largest blitzes since the downfall of the ISIS caliphate.

On the other side of the border, many Iraqi soldiers were murdered by the ISIS militants with guns in the process of destroying army barracks near Baghdad. Iraq’s military had not received a strike that extensive and deadly in months.

“Terrorism is a horrible thing and it has already caused so much damage in the world. I’m just glad that another one of the major terrorist leaders got taken down. Every kill represents one less threat for us all and will make our world safer and more secure for it,” sophomore Selena Alvarado said.

The United Nations estimates that about ten thousand jhadist group members were still fighting in 2021, mostly located between Syria and Iraq. A new ISIS leader has yet to be named, but the U.S. special forces are staying alert to stop any future attacks in the middle east region.