President Donald Trump on Sunday said that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by US special forces deep in northwest Syria.
Trump told the nation in a televised address from the White House that US forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdad.
“He ignited his vest, killing himself,” Trump said.
Trump said that the raid — involving eight helicopters flying more than an hour from an undisclosed base — was accomplished with help or cooperation from Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. He also thanked the Syrian Kurds “for a certain support they were able to give us.”
News of the raid, however, drew praise from several world leaders, coupled with caution that the IS threat may not be fully vanquished.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that it was “a turning point in our joint fight against terrorism.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the raid “an important moment in our fight against terror” but cautioned that the fight was “not yet over.”
But Russia raised doubts about the death claim. “The Defense 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.
Trump said there was no doubt, however. While “there wasn’t much left” of Baghdadi, field testing of his DNA confirmed his identity, the president said.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi said that “the House must be briefed on this raid,” adding that “the Russians, but not top congressional leadership, were notified” in advance.
– ‘Joint intelligence’-
Barisha is in a mountainous area less than three miles (five kilometers) from Turkey and near a main border crossing.
Turkey, which has been waging an offensive against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria, “knew we were going in,” Trump said.
A senior Turkish official told AFP that “to the best of my knowledge, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi arrived at this location 48 hours prior to the raid.”
The commander-in-chief of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, said the operation came after “joint intelligence work” with American forces.
Two US soldiers received minor injuries in the raid, Esper said.
