IS leader died ‘like a dog’, crows Trump
‘Crying’ jihadi boss slain in daring raid
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the Islamic State (IS) group’s elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed, dying “like a dog”, “like a coward”, in a daring nighttime raid by US special forces in northwest Syria.
Mr Trump told the nation in a televised White House address that a “large number” of IS militants were killed during the raid, which culminated with Baghdadi cornered in a tunnel, where he detonated a suicide vest.
“He died after running into a deadend tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way,” Mr Trump said, adding that three of Baghdadi’s children were also killed in the blast.
Mr Trump said the raid — involving eight helicopters flying more than an hour from an undisclosed base — was carried out with cooperation from Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. He also thanked the Syrian Kurds “for a certain support they were able to give us”.
Mr Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien described the dramatic message the president and his advisers received as they monitored the raid from the White House Situation Room.
“The commander of the mission called and said, ‘100% confidence, Jackpot’” — meaning Baghdadi was dead — Mr O’Brien said on NBC.
At its height, the IS controlled a swath of Iraq and Syria in a self-declared caliphate, brutally imposing a puritanical version of Islam.
The group planned or inspired terrorism attacks across Europe, while using social media to lure foreign volunteers.
It took years of war, during which the IS became notorious for mass executions and sickening hostage beheadings, before its final slice of territory in Syria was seized this March.
Mr Baghdadi’s death gives a big political boost to Mr Trump as he faces an impeachment inquiry, and after his abrupt decision to withdraw US forces from Syria raised fears that it would allow IS remnants to regroup and leave Kurdish forces vulnerable to a Turkish invasion.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter the operation was “a turning point in our joint fight against terrorism”.
But Russia raised doubts. “The Defence Ministry does not have reliable information... concerning the umpteenth ‘death’ of Baghdadi,” spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Baghdadi’s death has been reported several times over the years.
Mr Trump said there was no doubt this time, with a DNA test confirming his identity.
Defence Secretary Mark Esper — who issued a statement hailing “a great day for America and a great day for the world” — told CNN the raiding team had both visual and DNA confirmation.
In Washington, Democrats said the IS threat was not over, particularly after Mr Trump’s decision — since partially reversed — to leave Syria.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded that her chamber be briefed on the raid and on Mr Trump’s regional policies, adding that top congressional leaders were not told in advance.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had reported that US helicopters dropped forces in an area of Syria’s Idlib province where “groups linked to the Islamic State group” were present.
The monitoring group, based in Britain but with sources in Syria, said the helicopters targeted a home and a car outside the village of Barisha.
The operation killed nine people, including an IS senior leader called Abu Yamaan, it said. A nearby resident said he rushed to the site after hearing a ruckus in the night.