The leader of Islamic State has been killed during a raid by US special forces in Syria.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi exploded a bomb that killed himself and members of his family as the raid began on a house in the rebel-held province of Idlib.

He was among at least 13 people who died during the operation, which lasted two hours.

There were no US military casualties.

US President Joe Biden announced the killing in a statement, saying: “Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.”

He said troops “successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our allies, and make the world a safer place”.

Mr Biden said he will address the American people later today, adding: “May God protect our troops.”

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A US administration official blamed the civilian casualties on the explosive used by militants.

Al-Quraishi was named as the second leader of IS after founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in October 2019.

“While we are still assessing the results of this operation, this appears to be the same cowardly terrorist tactic we saw in the 2019 operation that eliminated al-Baghdadi,” the US official said.

IS has been trying for a resurgence in the region, launching a series of attacks that include an assault on a prison last month.

US special forces used helicopters to land near the house and launch their assault on the house, which first responders say led to the deaths of 13 people.

Six children and four women are believed to have died.

The top floor of the house was destroyed during the clash and body parts were seen scattered near the site.

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