Cutting off the many heads of the ISIS hydra: How US-led mission has taken out jihadi chiefs since the start of 2023 - as ex-Royal Navy head says new boss of Islamic State is already a 'dead man walking'
- GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: SOME IMAGES MAY CAUSE DISTRESS FOR SOME READERS
- US special forces have ruthlessly targeted top ISIS leaders, killing four this year and detaining 270 extremists
- Three of the terror group's former leaders have been slaughtered since the end of 2019, including its founder
The new leader of ISIS is 'a dead man walking', a former head of Britain's Royal Navy has said after US special forces ramped up its relentless campaign to crush the terror group.
The US-led mission in Syria, Iraq and Somalia has seen four top Islamic State chiefs killed since the start of the year, in a move an ex-UK spy said was helping to 'cripple' the terror machine by 'cutting off the many hydra heads' in its chain of command.
Among those taken out include commanders responsible for planning deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa - as well as a handful of key lieutenants and influential henchmen.
Meanwhile, since the collapse of the jihadist group's 'caliphate' in 2019 - where it once controlled huge swathes of Iraq and Syria - three heads of ISIS, including its founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, have been killed. The latest to die was in October.
Now Admiral Lord Alan West, who sits on the UK's secretive Intelligence and Security Committee, has insisted ISIS's new boss, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, has a target on his back. 'He is a dead man walking. That's what he is,' he told MailOnline.
![A map of carnage: The top ISIS leaders killed in surgical strikes by a US-led task group operating across Syria. Since the start of 2023, at least four senior commanders have been killed. And since 2019, the terror group has lost three of its heads, including its brutal founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who blew himself up during a raid carried out by US special forces in 2019](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/70096683-11985413-A_map_of_carnage_The_top_ISIS_leaders_killed_in_surgical_strikes-a-28_1682090129342.jpg)
A map of carnage: The top ISIS leaders killed in surgical strikes by a US-led task group operating across Syria. Since the start of 2023, at least four senior commanders have been killed. And since 2019, the terror group has lost three of its heads, including its brutal founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who blew himself up during a raid carried out by US special forces in 2019
![Terrorist aces: Former ISIS leaders Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi (left) and Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi both blew themselves up after being found. Abu al-Hassan lasted just eight months in power, while his predecessor spent more than two years leading the terror group](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/70037777-11985413-Terrorist_aces_Former_ISIS_leaders_Abu_al_Hassan_al_Hashimi_al_Q-a-29_1682090129343.jpg)
Terrorist aces: Former ISIS leaders Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi (left) and Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi both blew themselves up after being found. Abu al-Hassan lasted just eight months in power, while his predecessor spent more than two years leading the terror group
![Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (right), the brutal founder of ISIS also blew himself up after being found by US special forces in October 2019. He had been in charge of the group for almost a decade and was responsible for atrocities which saw thousands killed. Pictured next to him is Maher al-Agal, who was in charge of expanding ISIS operations. He was killed in a US airstrike in July 2022](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/09/70037779-11985413-Abu_Bakr_al_Baghdadi_right_the_brutal_founder_of_ISIS_also_blew_-a-1_1682237496268.jpg)
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (right), the brutal founder of ISIS also blew himself up after being found by US special forces in October 2019. He had been in charge of the group for almost a decade and was responsible for atrocities which saw thousands killed. Pictured next to him is Maher al-Agal, who was in charge of expanding ISIS operations. He was killed in a US airstrike in July 2022
The revelation comes as MailOnline today lays bare the devastating toll inflicted on ISIS this year, in missions spearheaded by US Central Command (CENTCOM) across Syria, Iraq and Somalia.
The anti-jihadist coalition is led by the America but its operations feature forces from several countries including the UK, France, Canada and Turkey - and its deputy commander is a British Army Brigadier.
Since the start of the year, extremist-hunting teams from Operation Inherent Resolve - the codename for the fight against ISIS militants - have launched at least 130 deadly raids against the jihadist group, killing 46 terrorists and capturing 270.
It started with a blitz in January, with CENTCOM supporting 43 strike raids across Iraq and Syria, that led to 11 terrorist being killed and a further 227 detained.
In February, 48 missions were carried out, which saw coalition troops detain 25 terrorists and kill 22 - including a senior chief in the extremist group.
While in March, there were 37 strike operations against ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq, killing nine insurgents and detaining 18 others.
April has already seen at least four ISIS terrorists slaughtered by special forces, including two senior figures in the group, also known as Daesh.
The latest raid occurred on Monday morning, when US special forces launched an early morning assault in northern Syria, targeting a top ISIS lieutenant.
![The most recent senior leaders to be killed in ISIS were Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali (right) who was killed in a US missile strike on Monday and Khalid 'Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, who was in charge of setting up attacks in Europe](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/70037783-11985413-The_most_recent_senior_leaders_to_be_killed_in_ISIS_were_Abd_al_-a-31_1682090129345.jpg)
The most recent senior leaders to be killed in ISIS were Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali (right) who was killed in a US missile strike on Monday and Khalid 'Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, who was in charge of setting up attacks in Europe
![Bilal al-Sudani, left, helped fund terror attacks across the world. He was responsible for the Kabul Airport bombing in 2021. He was killed by US Navy SEALs in January. While senior lieutenant Hamza al-Homsi was killed in February. The raid against him injured four US troops and one military dog during an explosion](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/70037781-11985413-Bilal_al_Sudani_left_helped_fund_terror_attacks_across_the_world-a-32_1682090129345.jpg)
Bilal al-Sudani, left, helped fund terror attacks across the world. He was responsible for the Kabul Airport bombing in 2021. He was killed by US Navy SEALs in January. While senior lieutenant Hamza al-Homsi was killed in February. The raid against him injured four US troops and one military dog during an explosion
![Admiral Lord Alan West, a former First Sea Lord and security minister in the UK, said the sheer number of top ISIS commanders being killed means its new chief Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi is a 'dead man walking'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/63903941-11985413-Admiral_Lord_Alan_West_was_a_former_First_Sea_Lord_and_security_-a-33_1682090129346.jpg)
Admiral Lord Alan West, a former First Sea Lord and security minister in the UK, said the sheer number of top ISIS commanders being killed means its new chief Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi is a 'dead man walking'
Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali, who was responsible for planning attacks across the Middle East and Europe, was in the process of masterminding a plot to kidnap key officials and hold them for leverage when he was raided.
Information about the plot was uncovered by intelligence officials, triggering the strike by US special forces, who flew in by helicopter.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based opposition war monitor, reported the US assault took place before dawn in the village of Suwayda, near the town of Jarabulus, not far from the border with Turkey.
The group claimed 'violent clashes' erupted between US and ISIS forces, which only ended when American's fired two missiles at a stronghold belonging to the terrorists.
The blast killed Ali and two other armed bodyguards, who were part of the Soqour Al-Shamal factions.
American officials claimed no civilian or US forces had been injured during the assault.
Speaking in the aftermath of the deadly clash, Major General Matthew McFarlane, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, praised the mission's success in dealing another blow to ISIS.
'Our commitment to a stable and secure region remains the focus of every Coalition member,' he said. 'Our forces have removed another dangerous terrorist from the battlefield and further degraded ISIS's capabilities.'
The operation came just days after the death of another ISIS general responsible for planning attacks in Europe and recruiting the next generation of terror leaders.
Warlord Khalid 'Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri was reportedly on his mobile phone when he was blown up by a Hellfire missile launched from a US drone above Killi, in Syria's Idlib province, on April 4.
CENTCOM said his death was a critical blow and would 'temporarily disrupt the organization's ability to plot external attacks'.
In February, another ISIS leader Hamza al-Hosi was killed in Syria during a helicopter raid carried out by US and Syrian Democratic Forces.
Little is known about his precise role within the terror group. The raid came a week after a separate assault by the US and SDF which killed Ibrahim Al Qahtani, another ISIS official who planned to help jihadi prisoners escape from detention centers.
While in January two dozen members of SEAL Team 6 killed ISIS leader Bilal al-Sudani during a raid that echoed the one carried out on Osama bin Laden's compound in 2011.
Sudani was responsible for the Kabul airport bombing in 2021 that claimed the lives of 13 US troops.
Details of the raid against him - approved by President Joe Biden - were first revealed in a report from The New York Times.
According to the report, the SEAL Team 6 members rehearsed the assault extensively before heading aboard Army MH-47 Chinook helicopters, which are operated by a team known as the Night Stalkers, to a non-descript US Navy ship that was resting off of the coast of northern Somalia.
From there, the squad landed 'some distance' from al-Sudani's cavernous layer in an area known as Puntland in northern Somalia so as not to set of warnings. The group then engaged with the ISIS fighters in the region, killing 10, not including al-Sudani. The firefight lasted for an hour.
Following the attack, the commandos recovered a 'trove of material' that included laptops and cell phones that could be linked to future ISIS operations.
The al-Qaeda off-shoot al-Shabab has a much larger footprint in Somalia than ISIS. There are thought to be less than 300 members of the Islamic State in the troubled east African country.
No civilians were injured or killed in the operation, Pentagon officials said. One American involved in the operation was bitten by a military dog, but was not seriously hurt.
The Times's report details that it was only when US intelligence figures learned of al-Sudani's role in the Kabul bombing as well as his activities in fund-raising for ISIS in Europe, Asia and Africa, that he became top of the catch-or-kill list.
In reference to the Kabul airport bombing, a US official told the Times: 'Al-Sudani helped to put money in the pockets of the same elements of ISIS-K responsible for Abbey Gate.' That attack was perpetrated by ISIS-K, the group's arm in Afghanistan.
Al-Sudani had originally been designated the Treasury Department in 2012 for his role with al-Shabab, another terrorist organization operating in Somalia. He helped foreign fighters travel to an al-Shabab training camp and facilitated financing for violent extremists in Somalia, according to a senior administration official.
Following Sudani's death, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said: 'This action leaves the United States and its partners safer and more secure, and it reflects our steadfast commitment to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism at home and abroad.'
![The al-Qaeda off-shoot al-Shabab has a much larger footprint in Somalia than ISIS. There are thought to be less than 300 members of the Islamic State in the troubled east African country](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/67322375-11985413-The_al_Qaeda_off_shoot_al_Shabab_has_a_much_larger_footprint_in_-a-34_1682090129346.jpg)
The al-Qaeda off-shoot al-Shabab has a much larger footprint in Somalia than ISIS. There are thought to be less than 300 members of the Islamic State in the troubled east African country
![A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site on Aug twin suicide bombs, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/67322249-11985413-A_Taliban_fighter_stands_guard_at_the_site_on_Aug_twin_suicide_b-a-35_1682090129347.jpg)
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site on August 26 2021 where twin suicide bombs killed scores of people including 13 US troops
A former Colonel in British military intelligence told MailOnline the US was now making a concerted effort to 'cut off the many Hydra heads that make up ISIS'.
Philip Ingram said the latest wave of assaults was helping to keep ISIS's expansion 'suppressed' to a point that 'will eventually lead to its demise'. But he admitted the heads that make up terror group had the ability to grow back 'alarmingly fast'.
![Former intelligence officer Lt Col Philip Ingram (pictured) says the volume of attacks against ISIS leaders indicated the US was seeking to 'cut off the many Hydra heads' that make up the terror group](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/59243993-11985413-Former_intelligence_officer_Lt_Col_Philip_Ingram_pictured_says_t-a-36_1682090129347.jpg)
Former intelligence officer Lt Col Philip Ingram (pictured) says the volume of attacks against ISIS leaders indicated the US was seeking to 'cut off the many Hydra heads' that make up the terror group
He warned: 'This tactic won't lead to a total demise and organisations such as ISIS adapt to new challenges and have the ability to rise from the ashes with alarming surprise.'
The intelligence expert added: 'I think each of these operations shows that despite what else is happening, in particular in Ukraine, the eyes haven't been taken off the war against terror and that remains a priority for coalition partners.'
Major John Moore, a CENTCOM spokesman, told MailOnline: 'We don't want to get ahead of ongoing operations. We remain committed to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS.
'So far in 2023 US Central Command and partner forces have conducted dozens of operations against ISIS. These operations degraded ISIS and removed a cadre of senior leaders.'
The crippling impact of the attacks against ISIS has seen each successive leader's time at the head of the organisation diminish.
![ISIS's previous leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, was killed earlier this year](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/55199027-11985413-ISIS_s_previous_leader_Abu_Ibrahim_al_Qurashi_was_killed_earlier-a-37_1682090129348.jpg)
![His predecessor Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (pictured) was killed, also in Idlib in a US raid, in October 2019](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/55199029-11985413-His_predecessor_Abu_Bakr_al_Baghdadi_pictured_was_killed_also_in-a-38_1682090129348.jpg)
ISIS's previous leaders, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi (left), was killed in February 2022 after taking over from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (right)
The group's barbaric founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, spent nine years in charge before he blew himself up in north-western Syria in 2019.
During his tenure, his army of fanatics slaughtered more than 100,000 people, carrying out upwards of 26,000 terror attacks worldwide, data collected by The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center claims.
Baghdadi came to prominence in 2014, when the radicalised cleric announced the creation of the 'caliphate' in areas of Iraq and Syria. At its peak, ISIS controlled 34,000 sq miles of land stretching across the two countries.
But extremists committed countless atrocities during their brutal five-year reign, before eventually being crushed in May 2019.
![Before: A satellite view of what is believed to have been Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's compound in northern Syria, where he died in a raid by U.S. special forces](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/20263470-11985413-Before_A_satellite_view_of_what_is_believed_to_have_been_Abu_Bak-a-39_1682090129349.jpg)
Before: A satellite view of what is believed to have been Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's compound in northern Syria, where he died in a raid by U.S. special forces
![After: The compound was destroyed in a U.S. helicopter raid while Baghdadi fled into a tunnel where he detonated an explosive vest and killed himself, according to Donald Trump](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/20271428-11985413-After_The_compound_was_destroyed_in_a_U_S_helicopter_raid_while_-a-40_1682090129350.jpg)
After: The compound was destroyed in a U.S. helicopter raid while Baghdadi fled into a tunnel where he detonated an explosive vest and killed himself, according to Donald Trump
Five months later, in October, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was tracked down by US special forces to the town of Barisha, in northwestern Syria, about 35 miles west of Aleppo.
The ISIS chief detonated a suicide vest after fleeing into a tunnel while being chased by US military dogs, former President Donald Trump claimed at the time.
His successor Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi took command in October 2019 - but lasted little more than two years at the helm before he was killed.
Before assuming the top role, the Iraqi commander - nicknamed the 'Destroyer' - had presided over the genocide of the Yazidis which saw 5,000 people massacred by ISIS in 2014.
He blew himself and his family up during a raid by American commandos on a house in northwest Syria in February 2022.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi set off a bomb that killed himself as well as members of this family, the White House said.
![A general view shows on February 3, 2022 the scene following an overnight raid by US special operations forces against Abu Ibrahim al-Qurash in Atmeh, in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, which left at least 13 people dead](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53719073-11985413-A_general_view_shows_on_February_3_2022_the_scene_following_an_o-a-41_1682090129350.jpg)
A general view shows on February 3, 2022 the scene following an overnight raid by US special operations forces against Abu Ibrahim al-Qurash in Atmeh, in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, which left at least 13 people dead
![An aerial view of wreckages around the site after an operation carried out by US forces targeting the high-ranking jihadist in northern Syria](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53727123-11985413-An_aerial_view_of_wreckages_around_the_site_after_an_operation_c-a-42_1682090129351.jpg)
An aerial view of wreckages around the site after an operation carried out by US forces targeting the high-ranking jihadist in northern Syria
![A Syrian man walks on bloodstained floors, February 3, 2022, at the scene following an overnight raid by US special operations forces against suspected jihadists in Syria](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53719607-11985413-A_Syrian_man_walks_on_bloodstained_floors_February_3_2022_at_the-a-43_1682090129351.jpg)
A Syrian man walks on bloodstained floors, February 3, 2022, at the scene following an overnight raid by US special operations forces against suspected jihadists in Syria
![A Syrian man takes a picture of a blood soaked kitchen at the scene of a US anti-terror raid in Atmeh, Idlib](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53719083-11985413-A_Syrian_man_takes_a_picture_of_a_blood_soaked_kitchen_at_the_sc-a-44_1682090129352.jpg)
A Syrian man takes a picture of a blood soaked kitchen at the scene of a US anti-terror raid in Atmeh, Idlib
Thirteen were killed, including six children and four women during the mission, which involved 24 elite special operations commandos backed by attack jets, Reaper drones and helicopter gunships.
'At the beginning of the operation, the terrorist target exploded a bomb that killed him and members of his own family, including women and children,' a senior administration official said.
President Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security aides monitored a live-feed of the operation from the White House Situation Room.
US special forces landed in helicopters and assaulted the house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, near the border with Turkey, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said in local reports.
The raid targeted a large house in Atmeh in the Idlib region of Syria where the ISIS leader was hiding. The two-story house was left with its top floor shattered and blood spattered inside. A journalist on assignment for The Associated Press and several residents noted that they saw body parts scattered near the site.
![The raid by the US commandos targeted jihadist leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurash in a house in Syria's northern town of Atmeh. The operation, which residents say lasted about two hours, jolted the village near the Turkish border - an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria's civil war. The target was killed in Atmeh, located mere miles from the town of Barisha where former ISIS leader al-Baghdadi was killed in 2019](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53728017-11985413-The_raid_by_the_US_commandos_targeted_jihadist_leader_Abu_Ibrahi-a-45_1682090129352.jpg)
The raid by the US commandos targeted jihadist leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurash in a house in Syria's northern town of Atmeh. The operation, which residents say lasted about two hours, jolted the village near the Turkish border - an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria's civil war. The target was killed in Atmeh, located mere miles from the town of Barisha where former ISIS leader al-Baghdadi was killed in 2019
![President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the President¿s national security team observe the counterterrorism operation responsible for removing from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in this photo from the White House](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/09/53728575-11985413-President_Joe_Biden_Vice_President_Kamala_Harris_and_members_of_-a-2_1682237496275.jpg)
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the President's national security team observe the counterterrorism operation responsible for removing from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in this photo from the White House
![Several pictured emerged from the scene show considerable damage to the outside of the house, with blood spattering the walls inside](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53719077-11985413-Several_pictured_emerged_from_the_scene_show_considerable_damage-a-47_1682090129353.jpg)
Several pictured emerged from the scene show considerable damage to the outside of the house, with blood spattering the walls inside
![A Syrian youngster stares at the aftermath of a US anti-terror strike in northern Syria](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53719079-11985413-A_Syrian_youngster_stares_at_the_aftermath_of_a_US_anti_terror_s-a-48_1682090129354.jpg)
A Syrian youngster stares at the aftermath of a US anti-terror strike in northern Syria
American commandos deployed via helicopter under cover of darkness, surrounded the house and ordered women and children to evacuate via loudspeakers, before engaging opposition fighters in combat.
The helicopters then deployed their ordnance following the ground assault, with several strikes reducing large sections of the house to rubble - though some of the damage is believed to have come as a result of the target's suicide blast.
'The mission was successful. There were no U.S. casualties,' said Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby in a statement.
But local residents and activists said several civilians were killed in the battle, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and first responders from Syrian Civil Defense reporting 13 deaths including several women and children.
Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was announced as the third head of ISIS in March, weeks after his predecessor was died.
But he lasted barely eight months in his position before he too was killed.
![Syrians gather on February 3, 2022 at the scene following an overnight raid by US special forces against suspected jihadists in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib which left at least nine people dead, including three civilians](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53719085-11985413-Syrians_gather_on_February_3_2022_at_the_scene_following_an_over-a-49_1682090129354.jpg)
Syrians gather on February 3, 2022 at the scene following an overnight raid by US special forces against suspected jihadists in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib which left at least nine people dead, including three civilians
![Roofs and walls collapsed, trapping people under the rubble. At least 13 people are thought to have died in the blasts](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/53719047-11985413-Roofs_and_walls_collapsed_trapping_people_under_the_rubble_At_le-a-50_1682090129355.jpg)
Syrians gather on February 3, 2022 at the scene following an overnight raid by US special forces against suspected jihadists in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib which left at least nine people dead, including three civilians
Abu al-Hassan reportedly blew himself up during a stand off in the town of Jasem, in Daraa, on October 15.
Local fighters in the town surrounded him and his aides, leaving him nowhere to escape. The reclusive leader was killed in a suicide blast that levelled his compound.
The ramping up of attacks against ISIS this year comes after fears were raised by a US general about the group seeking to launch a fresh wave of terror attacks in Europe and Asia.
General Michael Kurilla, head of US Central Command, told Congress that 'at least hundreds of thousands' of American citizens could be vulnerable to an attack by ISIS-K, which has the 'ultimate goal to strike on the American homeland'.
ISIS-K - the Islamic State in Khorasan - is an ISIS affiliate based in Afghanistan and a sworn enemy of both the Taliban and the United States.
The group has claimed responsibility for the Kabul airport attack during the US evacuation in August 2021 which killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US soldiers. It continued launching attacks throughout 2022, including on mosques and schools.
'It is my commander's estimate that they can do an external operation against US or Western interests abroad in under six months with little to no warning,' Kurilla told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
![Following the death of the Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi in mid-October, ISIS has selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as its new leader](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/65095029-11985413-Following_the_death_of_the_Abu_al_Hassan_al_Hashemi_al_Quraishi_-a-51_1682090129355.jpg)
Following the death of the Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi in mid-October, ISIS has selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as its new leader
'ISIS-Khorasan grows emboldened, seeking to expand its ranks and inspire enable and direct attacks in the region and beyond - with the ultimate goal to strike on the American homeland,' he added.
He was then asked about the likelihood of an attack on US soil.
'It would be harder for them to do that against the American homeland,' he said.
'If you asses six months against Europe or Asia what would you asses would be the timeline against the homeland?' senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas asked him.
'I think it's hard to put a timeline on that,' said Kurilla. 'I think it is a higher probability overseas than it is in the homeland.'
Similar assessments have been made by other US officials recently.
'It's a matter of time before they may have the ability and intent to attack the West,' the chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, said during a hearing earlier this year.
In January the National Counterterrorism Center Director, Christine Abizaid, described ISIS-K as the 'threat actor I am most concerned about'.
'We see concerning indications of ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan and its ambition that might go beyond that immediate territory,' she said.
![Drones are a key tool in the hunt to find and kill ISIS leaders. Pictured is one of the RAF's Reaper drones used during aerial strikes against the terror group as part of the UK's contribution to the effort to stop the extremists](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/70093959-11985413-One_of_the_RAF_s_Reaper_drones_used_during_aerial_strikes_agains-a-52_1682090129356.jpg)
Drones are a key tool in the hunt to find and kill ISIS leaders. Pictured is one of the RAF's Reaper drones used during aerial strikes against the terror group as part of the UK's contribution to the effort to stop the extremists
![The RAF has carried out more than 10,000 missions against ISIS since 2014, conducting some 2,000 airstrikes using drones (pictured) and jets](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/21/16/70093953-11985413-The_RAF_has_carried_out_more_than_10_000_missions_against_ISIS_s-a-53_1682090129356.jpg)
The RAF has carried out more than 10,000 missions against ISIS since 2014, conducting some 2,000 airstrikes using drones (pictured) and jets
Major Moore, from CENTCOM, added that while ISIS's 'so-called territorial caliphate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria was destroyed', the group still posed a danger and had the capability to launch new attacks across the globe.
'This threatens the security and stability of the region and poses risk to the US homeland, and those of our partners and allies,' Maj Moore told MailOnline.
'Our goal is to continue to support and enable our Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian Democratic Forces partners, at their request, to put pressure on ISIS. These operations showcase our enduring commitment to the lasting defeat of ISIS.'
Operation Shader is the name used for the UK's contribution to the US-led global coalition against Daesh.
The mission began in September 2014 over Iraq when the RAF flew its first combat sorties of the operation.
Air strikes over Syria were first launched December 2015. In January 2022, the Coalition's combat mission in Iraq formally ended and transitioned to an 'advise, assist, enable' mission, the UK government said, with air strikes still continuing.
Since the start of Op Shader, the RAF has carried out more than 10,000 missions, using drones and jets - with some 2,000 missions involving an airstrike.
A UK Government spokesperson said: 'The UK remains committed to supporting the Government of Iraq in bolstering its sovereign security capability to counter the threat from Daesh and continues to support the Global Coalition's ongoing 'advise, assist, enable' mission.
'Alongside the Global Coalition, the UK remains committed to ministry-level advisory and education activity in Iraqi security institutions under NATO Mission Iraq, as well as support to long-term bilateral initiatives.'
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