US President Donald Trump has announced that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a US military raid in northwest Syria, confirming an avalanche of rumors on the terrorist’s death.
It was reported earlier that military choppers, planes, and even drones provided air cover as US special forces engaged targets on the ground in Idlib province – the last major terrorist stronghold in the country. Citing unnamed officials, US media outlets said that al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest during the operation.
Hours before Trump’s announcement, a commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, hailed the “successful, historic operation as a result of joint intelligence work with the US.”
The Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) leader’s whereabouts were unknown for years. He made public appearances only a handful of times since founding his “worldwide caliphate” in 2014.
There have been previous reports of al-Baghdadi’s death, but none were confirmed. At the height of its power, al-Baghdadi’s terrorist group controlled vast swathes of Iraq and Syria. The Syrian Army, aided by Iran and Russia, has nearly eradicated the group from its territory.
