Islamic State raid
THERE is much to say about the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, and even more to learn.
Begin with congratulations to the unknown military and intelligence personnel who pulled it off. The skill and bravery of the planners and the troops on the ground were essential to the success of the mission. It was extremely risky, like the surprise attack in 2011 that resulted in the death of September 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. The eight helicopters faced gunfire on their way to alBaghdadi’s compound in northern Syria. And President Donald Trump was right to prioritize the pursuit of the murderous alBaghdadi. His extreme brutality in beheading captives and setting others on fire, all captured on video, was an effective recruiting tool for jihadists to join his caliphate and a stark warning to Western powers.
But while the world can find relief in his demise, we all must understand the many lessons that emerged from the raid.
Its success doesn’t mean the fight against IS is over. Cells of fighters, large and small, lurk all over the world. Our nation must stay vigilant and continue to pursue any future leaders of IS.
We need allies. Going it alone doesn’t work. American intelligence officials worked closely with their Kurdish and Iraqi counterparts to pinpoint alBaghdadi’s location. The Kurds, in particular, provided essential information, despite Trump’s decision last month to pull US troops out of Syria and abandon the Kurds.
We need strong, effective intelligence agencies. Trump has attacked them incessantly and tried to weaken them, but it was information gleaned by the CIA about alBaghdadi’s whereabouts that set in motion the planning for the raid.
Trump should not have kept House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the dark about the raid. The idea that she would have leaked that information is absurd. She was on the House Intelligence Committee for years, has no record of divulging classified material and is second in the line of presidential succession. If Trump excluded her and other Democratic leaders because of the impeachment inquiry, it’s another unfortunate example of politics infecting national security.