you. >> reporter: president joe biden watched from the white house as special forces closed in on their target. the helicopters approached the three-story compound in the middle of the night, according to senior administration officials. once on the ground, special forces warned civilians to clear out, evacuating ten civilians, including eight children. officials say he blew himself up, killing his wife and children and tearing the top of the building apart. his lieutenant, one floor below, was killed in an exchange of fire with u.s. forces. the pentagon said a child was killed on this floor but wouldn't say how or by whom. toward the end of the two-hour operation, two members of an al qaeda affiliate were killed in an exchange of fire with u.s. forces. u.s. forces having to destroy one of the helicopters on the gd after mechanical failures. four civilians and five combatants were killed. >> i say capture the leader of isis. that was the intent of the mission. >> reporter: this was the