Thread: Most salient information from the White House and Pentagon briefings on yesterday's US raid that killed Islamic State leader Hajji Abdullah (Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi) in #Idlib.
The operation was in the works for months.
US confirmed by early December that the IS leader was living in the compound; the exact layout of the compound; and exactly who was where.
The reason a raid was chosen vs. an airstrike was an innocent family on the first floor.
So good was the US intelligence that they knew that Hajji Abdullah detonating his suicide vest on the third floor would not bring down the building, hence the decision to risk the operation despite knowing he would do this.
Just listened to this @BulwarkOnline with @SykesCharlie & George Packer discussing his Atlantic article (theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…), and I'm very glad people are finally noting Biden's total indifference to evacuating our Afghan partners, something I've extensively covered.
With confirmation from Biden that the SECOND leader of the Islamic State was just killed in Idlib a mile from the Turkish border, right next to where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in 2019 in a similar US raid, there can no longer be any doubt about Turkey.
That's on top of the multiple IS HVTs killed in Turkish-controlled territory on its border, including Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
[Qais al-Khazali in April: “Erdoğan… entered Bashiqa and won’t leave, and if he enters Sinjar and Tal Afar he won’t leave willingly… This is more dangerous than the US (presence in Iraq)”] ahvalnews.com/turkey-iraq/ro…
The last time the coalition did this, it was for Baghdadi. Looks like they found the new guy, and he's been hiding - wouldn't you know it - in Idlib, same as Baghdadi.
Biden says any Russian attempt to cut off energy supplies to Europe would be "biting your nose off to spite your face" given that it's 45% of their income.
Biden says Russian "banks will not be able to deal in dollars" if it invades, and that while it will win the war/occupy Ukraine, it will suffer terribly.
"Militarily, they have overwhelming superiority...but they'll pay a stiff price... near term, medium term, and long term"