The leader of the Islamic State died when he blew himself and his family members up during a US military raid in Syria, President Joe Biden said on Thursday, dealing a blow to the jihadist group's efforts to reorganise as a guerrilla force after losing large swathes of territory.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi had led Islamic State since the death in 2019 of its founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was also killed when he detonated explosives during a raid by US commandos.

As US forces closed in on al-Quraishi in northwestern Syria overnight, he triggered a blast that also killed members of his own family, including children, according to Biden and US officials...