U.S. President Joe Biden said a U.S. special forces counter-terrorism raid in northwest Syria on Thursday targeted the leader of the Islamic State, adding he would address the operation in remarks later on Thursday.

"Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi - the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation," Biden said in a statement, referring to the acronym by which the Sunni Islamist militant group is sometimes known.

Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi exploded a bomb that killed himself and his family members, including women and children, a senior U.S. administration official told Reuters on Thursday.