‘IS leader dead in US military assault’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a US military operation in Syria, sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said yesterday, as US President Donald Trump prepared to make a “major statement” at the White House.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told Reuters Baghdadi was targeted in the overnight raid but was unable to say whether the operation was successful.
A commander of one of the militant factions in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib said Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a raid after midnight on Saturday involving helicopters, warplanes and a ground clash in the village of Brisha near the Turkish border.
Two Iraqi security sources and two Iranian officials said they had received confirmation from inside Syria that Baghdadi had been killed.
“Iran was informed about Baghdadi’s death by Syrian officials who got it from the field,” one of the officials said.
Iraqi state television yesterday aired footage of what it said was the US raid that killed Baghdadi.
Day-time footage showed a crater in the ground and what appeared to be the aftermath of a raid, with torn blood-stained
clothes on the ground. It also showed nighttime footage of an explosion.
The broadcaster quoted an expert on terrorism saying that Iraqi intelligence agencies had helped pinpoint Baghdadi’s location.
Newsweek, which first reported the news, said it had been told by a US Army official briefed on the raid that Baghdadi was dead. It said the operation was carried out by special operations forces after receiving actionable intelligence.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley announced late on Saturday that Trump would make a “major statement” yesterday.
Gidley gave no further details as to the topic of Trump’s statement. The president gave an indication that something was afoot earlier on Saturday night when he tweeted without explanation, “Something very big has just happened!”
The New York Times said US Special Operations commandos carried out the raid against a senior terrorist leader, quoting two senior administration officials.