Mahmoud Hassano, Suleiman al-Khalidi

AMMAN/ATMEH in Syria (Reuters) – In a corner of Syria populated with civilians displaced by the civil war of 11 years, the leader of Islamic State, along his family, hid. The neighbors didn’t see them, they did not inquire into their pasts, and rent was paid promptly.

On Thursday night, the status quo was broken when U.S. Special Forces invaded Atmeh, northwest Syria to attack his hideout.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi is the leader of one of the most dangerous militant groups in the world. He blew himself up trying to escape capture and killed several relatives members.

As Islamic State’s fighters return to Syria and Iraq, his death is a setback for the group.

Locals had believed until then that Quraishi, a Syrian merchant hailing from Aleppo, had taken his family to Atmeh, near the Turkish border. This was far away from the conflict frontlines.

It was not obvious that the building, which is three stories high, sits on the edge town. Quraishi, an Iraqi national, first occupied the ground floor and then rented the upper one.

Children were usually well-behaved and kept from sight. Sometimes they accompanied their mother to shops.

In a telephone interview, the woman identified as Ameena stated that “they kept to themselves” and her kids sometimes played outside with them, but she never socialized with them. For fear of reprisal, she refused to disclose her full name.

Ameena claimed that Um Ahmad, one Quraishi’s wife invited her to tea once. Ameena learned that Um Ahmad, Aleppo’s trader and escaped from Aleppo during World War II. Ameena later recalled that she was surprised at how often she saw her husband.

These black, all-enveloping gowns were typical for conservative Muslims.

Although the family was not originally from Atmeh this didn’t draw attention to an area in which tens or thousands have fled the country.

Ameena stated, “We believed they could have been through more, but as we know, everyone has a tragic story and people seldom speak about what happened these years, and everyone prefers not to talk about it.”

HIDE FROM THE ENEMY

Quraishi assumed the leadership of Islamic State after the 2019 death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He was also killed in a U.S. raid when he set off explosives.

Baghdadi also had been hiding out in northwest Syria where he was fighting the President Bashar Al-Assad. Baghdadi was hiding 25km (15 miles) away from Atmeh in Idlib, as well.

Quraishi was located close to an Idlib checkpoint, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. This jihadist faction, also known as Nusra Front and a long-time Islamic State enemy, had Quraishi hide out.

Also, it was close to the Turkish positions in northern Syria’s Afrin.

Quraishi used this place to hide from hostile forces despite its close proximity. He was trying to restore the fortunes Islamic State. The group controlled about a third Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2014. However, Quraishi was eventually beaten into hiding.

Syrians claim that strangers often go unnoticed in Syria. In addition to internally displaced people, there are also foreign Islamists living in the region who have travelled from other countries during wartime either as civil volunteers or fighters.

Another senior leader of Islamic State, Sami Jasim was captured by the Iraqi forces in northwest Syria, last October. This operation had been carried out with Turkish support.

According to a senior White House official, Quraishi and Quraishi’s two wives, along with a child, were all killed in the explosion. A child was also killed on Quraishi’s second floor.

Syrian rescue workers claimed that 13 people died in the attack, which included six children and four women.

According to neighbors, four children were saved from the attack by their neighbor – one girl aged 12 years old and two boys aged 7 and 4, and one infant. The relationship between them and Quraishi was unclear. Witnesses added that the apartments had been badly damaged and were littered with toys for children.

A U.S. official stated that Quraishi used the house, along with an unwitting household living on the ground floor as a “protective Shield,” complicating planning for the raid.

Reuters was told by the son of the landlord that each apartment could be rented at $160 per month.

My dad trusted me with the rent, and we would help Quraishi if he needed water, electricity or Internet problems. He was not well-known to us,” said Abu Omar, his son.

Ahmed al Saloum (56-year-old carpenter) said that he saw women hanging laundry on a balcony at the second floor. He stated that they had never been suspected.