Another leader of Islamic State dies in an American raid

occasional sunbathing on the roof, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi never emerged from his compound in Atmeh, in Syria’s north-western Idlib province. It was from the third floor of that residential building—a stone’s throw from the Turkish border—that he ran the Islamic State () jihadist group through couriers. And it was there that Mr Qurayshi (who was also known as Hajji Abdullah) died on February 3rd, the second successive leader to blow himself up during an American raid in Idlib in just over two years. His death is a setback to a group which was preparing to fight back after losing all of its territory and much of its influence since its peak in 2014.America caught wind of Mr Qurayshi’s whereabouts months ago and became certain of them in early December. American planners built a tabletop model of the compound, much as they did for in 2011, and military engineers predicted how the building would fare if Mr Qurayshi blew himself up deliberately. Officials considered striking the building from the air, but opted for a raid to minimise civilian casualties. On February 1st Joe Biden, America’s president, gave the final order.