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Earlier in the day, the White House tweeted a photo it said showed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Situation Room watching as the raid took place.

President Biden, Vice President 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 — the leader of ISIS. pic.twitter.com/uhK75WeUme

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 3, 2022

\"We remain vigilant, we remain prepared,\" Biden said. \"Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield and it sent a strong message to terrorists around the world: We will come after you and find you.\"

\"PHOTO:
The White House
PHOTO: President Biden, Vice President Harris and members of the President’s national security team observe the counterterrorism operation in Syria that they say killed the leader of ISIS from the Situation Room at the White House, Feb. 3, 2022.
>

The Pentagon earlier had confirmed U.S. special operations forces carried out a what it called a \"successful\" counterterrorism mission in northwest Syria Wednesday, but provided few other details.

\"U.S. Special Operations forces under the control of U.S. Central Command conducted a counterterrorism mission this evening in northwest Syria. The mission was successful. There were no U.S. casualties,\" said John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, in a statement. \"More information will be provided as it becomes available.\"

\"PHOTO:
Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: Syrians gather on Feb.3, 2022 at the scene following an overnight counterterrorism mission carried out by U.S. special operations forces in northwestern Syria.
>

One of the helicopters used in the mission experienced a mechanical problem and then had to be blown up on the ground by U.S. forces, according to a U.S. official.

\"PHOTO:
Omar Albam/AP
PHOTO: A wreckage of an American helicopter is seen in Afrin region, Syria, Feb. 3, 2022. After an overnight raid in northwest Syria, a U.S. official said one of the helicopters suffered a mechanical problem, was rediredted and destroyed.
>

Social media posts reported possible U.S. military activity in Idlib province, a town in far western Syria, close to the border with Turkey. Some posts included videos that seemed to show night scenes where the sounds of gunfire and low-flying helicopters could be heard near the towns of Atmeh and Dar Ballout.

The opposition-run Syrian Civil Defense, first responders also known as the White Helmets, said 13 civilians were killed as a result of the fighting and blasts that occurred at the raid site, including six children and four women.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war watchdog group based in the United Kingdom, said in a press statement that nine people, including at least two children and a woman, were killed during Wednesday's mission. The group cited local sources.

A U.S. official, meanwhile, told ABC News that the reported civilian casualties were not the result of U.S. military fire, but occurred when the target of the raid detonated an explosive device at the beginning of the operation.

\"PHOTO:
U.S. State Department/Handout/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
PHOTO: Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of the Islamic State group is pictured in this undated photo released by U.S. State Department.
>

According to an Associated Press reporter on assignment who visited the Atmeh area on Thursday and spoke with residents, the U.S. raid did involve helicopters, explosions, and machine gun fire.

The AP reporter and several residents said they saw body parts around a house targeted in the raid whose upper story was almost completely leveled leaving rubble in the surrounding olive grove.

There are approximately 1,000 U.S. military troops operating in eastern Syria to support the mission against ISIS.

American troops do not operate in government-controlled areas in northwestern Syria, especially in Idlib province, which was an extremist safe haven for much of the last decade. But they have sporadically carried out counterterrorism missions in Idlib, targeting various Islamic extremist groups with drone strikes.

The highest profile mission was a ground raid that killed ISIS' top leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who was hiding out in a house close to the border with Turkey, on Oct. 27, 2019.

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