White House press secretary Jen Psaki was challenged with a bevy of questions Thursday about the civilian casualties stemming from the death of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al Qurayshi.
Psaki reaffirmed to reporters traveling with President Joe Biden to New York on Thursday that al Qurayshi detonated a suicide explosion, killing himself and members of his immediate family during the counterterrorism raid U.S. military members carried out in Syria Wednesday night. She deferred questions about whether some civilians were killed in the crossfire to the Pentagon.
Still, a reporter reportedly pressed Psaki on whether the government would release “evidence” backing its claim and specifically noted that “it’s a fact” the United States “has not always been straightforward about what happens with civilians” killed in the theater of combat.
“As you know, there’s an extensive process that the Department of Defense undergoes,” Psaki responded. “The president made clear from the beginning, at every point in this process, that doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties was his priority and his preference.”
“I just reconfirmed, and I think our national security colleague who did a briefing this morning also reiterated that the individual who is the target detonated himself killing his entire family,” she continued. “Given these events just happened less than 24 hours ago, we’re going to give them time to make a final assessment and they’ll provide every detail they can.”
“Last night’s operation is a testament to America’s reach and capability to take out terrorist threats,” Biden said of the raid. “No matter where they try to hide in the world, I am determined to protect the American people from terrorist threats, and I will take decisive action to protect this country.”
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You can listen to Psaki’s entire gaggle below.
