Atme: When US forces fly over the city of Syria Atme, where the ISIS group leader hiding, residents of Mahmoud Shehadeh thought the sound of the helicopter for the storm.
What he saw when he stepped out to check the weather surprised him. Only half an hour became Thursday, some helicopters had surrounded neighboring homes, their loudspeakers blared a message to residents.
“We saw an airplane over our heads and after the ten minutes we heard them shouting (for women): ‘surrendering this house surrounded’,” Mahmoud told AFP, shortly after the US leadership operation where the issue of Abu Ibrahim’s head -Hashimi al-Qurashi blew himself up.
“I don’t know whether he gives up or not.”
Atme, a Syrian city in the northwestern Idlib region bordering Turkey, heard shooting and fire from combat.
This lasted for about two hours before the elite of the US-led forces stormed the Qurashi house.
Syrian observatories for human rights monitor war have said civilians including at least 13 people died in operations.
When landing began, residents thought US troops were targeting al-Qaeda leaders.
US special troops have carried out several operations against the high-value jihad target in the Idlib area in recent months.
The area, the last pocket area to actively opposive the Syrian President of Bashar al-Assad, is home to more than three million people and dominated by jihadists.
Abu Ali, a Syrian refugee living nearby who refused to give his full name for security reasons, said the US criticized the message to citizens.
He heard American troops say “‘not worried. We just came to this house … to get rid of you from terrorists”.
– Taxi driver –
Atme residents were surprised to hear that their neighbors at a simple two-story house were surrounded by olive trees actually ISIS leaders.
One of the most sought after people in the world, he lived there with his family and his sister.
Even landlords, Mohamed Al-Sheikh, are confused by the news. He thought he had rented a house for a taxi driver.
AFP correspondent shoots photos of houses that show simple rooms with a little more than foam mattresses, blankets, colorful clothes and children’s toys.
Footage from home after the operation showed black smoke which was steaming from the first floor, towards the roof partially collapsed. In the next room, blood scattered on the wall and floor.
Telling the operation in television speech, US President Joe Biden said that Qurashi detonated a bomb during a raid, killing himself and family members, including women and children.
Al-Sheikh said Qurashi had rented a house about a year ago.
He lives on the ground floor with his wife and three children. His brother and his daughter lived on the first floor.
“This person lives here (at home) for 11 months. I didn’t see anything strange about him,” Al-Sheikh said.
“He will pay me rent and leave.”
One of the last time he saw his tenant, Al-Sheikh said he picked olives near the house. Qurashi took him a cup of coffee and sat down to chat.
He looked like “relaxed, a gentle and cheerful person” Al-Sheikh said.
He always wore the same clothes, he said – a pair of trousers, shirts, vests and headscarves.
Moniker Qurashi is “The Destroyer” and he has a reputation for brutality. He played a major role in the 2014 Jihad campaign to kill and enslave Yazidi in Iraq.
Cold attitude and even angry he was protected by suspicion.
Now that his identity has been revealed, landlords are very angry about the damaged house.
“If I know about him, I will never let him live in my house,” he said.