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ISIS Leader Believed KIA

The Bread Guy

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Wanted:  New boss for ISIS/Daesh?
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most wanted man, is believed dead after being targeted by a U.S. military raid in Syria.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press late Saturday that al-Baghdadi was targeted in Syria’s Idlib province. The official said confirmation that the IS chief was killed in an explosion is pending. No other details were available.

Both Iraq and Iran told Reuters Sunday that they had been informed by sources in Syria that al-Baghdadi had been killed.

"Our sources from inside Syria have confirmed to the Iraqi intelligence team tasked with pursuing Baghdadi that he has been killed alongside his personal bodyguard in Idlib after his hiding place was discovered when he tried to get his family out of Idlib towards the Turkish border," said one of the Iraqi security sources ...
More from Reuters, The Associated Press, BBC, Al Jazeera English and Google News (search for "al-Baghdadi").
 
Al Baghdadi believed killed during US airstrikes in Syria. There will be a 9am announcement. This is good news if accurate.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-target-believed-to-be-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-is-killed-in-syria-sources
 
Initial White House media pool report:
... Trump announces Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. His body was mutilated by the blast. Tests confirmed it was him.
”It was him.”

The thug who intimidated others died in total fear. “We were in the compound for approx 2 hours.”
Trump walked into the Diplomatic Reception Room at 9:19. Military campaign streamers are hung from the military flag poles behind the podium ...
More:
... Trump standing behind the podium alone calls Baghdadi “the very violent son of Osama bin Laden, who was saying, very bad things about people about our country about the world.” Check against video/transcript.

“He was sick and deprived man and now he is gone.” “He died as a coward, running and crying.”

“Losers they are, they have no idea what they were getting into. In some cases they were frightened puppies, in other cases they hardened killers.”

Trump pointed to gruesome deaths of James Foley and others.

Trump calls last night a great night for US.
“He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is a much safer place.”

Answering questions from reporters:
“We have had him under surveillance for a couple for weeks.”

Trump says he got to watch the raid with Pence and others in the Situation — I don’t want to say you but “it was as though you were watching a movie.” ...
 
Secrecy is the life blood of a special operations mission and in this instance it was maintained despite having to alert the Russians,Syria and Iraq that the op was inbound. Its nice to see that despite the political non-sense we can still work together for the good of the country.
 
Congrats to the US for this.

I saw the press conference.  Had to wince a bit as I think he may have revealed a bit too much info. 
 
Statement from #POTUS45:
Subject: Statement from the President on the Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2019

Statement from the President on the Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Last night, the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization in the World. The United States has been searching for Baghdadi for many years. Capturing or killing Baghdadi has been the top national security priority of my Administration. U.S. Special Operations forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid into Northwestern Syria to accomplish this mission.

No U.S. personnel were lost in the operation, while a large number of Baghdadi’s fighters and companions were killed with him. He died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming. The compound had been cleared by this time, with people either surrendering or being shot and killed. Eleven young children were moved out of the house un-injured. The only ones remaining were Baghdadi in the tunnel, who had dragged three children with him to certain death. He reached the end of the tunnel, as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children. His body was mutilated by the blast, but test results gave certain and positive identification.

The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, panic and dread – terrified of the American Forces bearing down.
We were in the compound for approximately 2 hours, and after the mission was accomplished we took highly sensitive material and information from the raid.
Baghdadi’s demise demonstrates America’s relentless pursuit of terrorist leaders, and our commitment to the enduring and total defeat of ISIS!
The reach of America is long. As you know, last month we announced that we recently killed Hamza Bin Laden, the very violent son of Osama Bin Laden, who was saying very bad things.

He was the heir apparent to Al Qaeda. Terrorists who oppress and murder innocent people should never sleep soundly, knowing that we will completely destroy them. These savage monsters will not escape their fate – and they will not escape the final judgement of God.

Baghdadi has been on the run for many years, long before I took office. At my direction, as Commander-in-Chief, the United States obliterated his ‘caliphate’ in March of this year. Today’s events are another reminder that we will continue to pursue the remaining ISIS terrorists to their brutal end.

Baghdadi and the losers who worked with him – in some cases people who had no idea what they were getting into and how dangerous and unglamorous it was – killed many people. Their murder of innocent Americans Jim Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller were especially heinous. The shocking publicized murder of a Jordanian pilot who was burned alive in a cage for all to see, and the execution of Christians in Libya and Egypt, as well as the genocidal mass murder of Yazidis, rank ISIS among the most depraved organizations in history.

The forced religious conversions, the orange suits prior to many beheadings, all of which were openly displayed for the world – this was all Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s work. He was vicious and violent, and he died in a vicious and violent way, as a coward, running and crying. This raid was impeccable, and could only have taken place with the acknowledgement and help of certain other nations and people.

I want to thank the nations of Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq, and I also want to thank the Syrian Kurds for certain support they were able to give us. Thank you as well to the great intelligence professionals who helped make this very successful journey possible.

I want to thank the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines involved in last night’s operation. You are the very best there is anywhere in the world. I want to thank General Mark Milley and our Joint Chiefs of Staff, and I also want to thank our professionals who work in other agencies of the United States government and were critical to the mission’s success.

Last night was a great night for the United States and for the World. A brutal killer, one who has caused so much hardship and death, was violently eliminated – he will never again harm another innocent man, woman or child. He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place.

God bless the United States of America!

###
 
And a bit of analysis ...
Key Takeaway: ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has left behind a capable global organization that continued to expand despite the group’s loss of its territorial caliphate in March 2019. ISIS added four new provinces to its self-declared caliphate between April-May 2019: Central Africa, Turkey, India, and Pakistan. ISIS’s global expansion was sufficiently entrenched at the time of Baghdadi’s death such that a successor will likely be able to sustain much of ISIS’s global operations. Dangerous possibilities include a new collaboration between ISIS and al Qaeda to launch attacks in the West.

(...)
More @ link
 
Will Dear Leader Justin mourn his ABAB’s passing? He’ll say all the right things....but really says if you kill terrorists they win.

Good for the USA 🇺🇸!
 
Remius said:
Congrats to the US for this.

I saw the press conference.  Had to wince a bit as I think he may have revealed a bit too much info.
So it wasn't just me ! You knew going in that he probably couldn't resist grandstanding and blow a few secrets.  And his big congrats to the Russians for their help. :(
 
Some of the other (anti-SYR forces) partners pipe up about their role (source) ...
 

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Another partner takes some credit ...
Turkey and the U.S. were engaged in intense diplomacy and exchanged views on the operation the night that U.S. special forces conducted a mission to kill Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwest Syria, Ankara’s foreign minister said on Monday.

“Turkey and our U.S. counterparts shared information, exchanged opinions before the operation to kill Daesh leader started. That’s why Trump thanked Turkey in his speech,” the minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, told a news conference.

Cavusoglu said Turkey had “neutralized” more than 4,000 Islamic State militants so far.

Earlier on Monday, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also stressed the close contact between the two country’s military authorities on the night ...
More @ link

Attached also find transcript of #POTUS45's news conference yesterday with more details.
 

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A tip from an ISIS fighter was key to the op or maybe it was the $25m reward ?

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/tip-from-disaffected-militant-set-in-motion-operation-that-killed-isis-leader-al-baghdadi-1.604958
 
A slightly-doubting Russia ...
The Kremlin said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will have made a major contribution to the fight against international terrorism if a U.S. assertion that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead is true.

Trump on Sunday announced that Baghdadi had killed himself during a daring overnight raid by elite U.S. special operations forces in Syria and thanked Russia, among others, for its support.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say on Monday if the United States had informed Russia about the operation in advance or provide other details.

But he told reporters that the Russian military had spotted U.S. planes and drones in the area of Syria where Washington said it had carried out the raid.

"If this information (about Baghdadi's death) is confirmed we can talk about a serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism," said Peskov.

Russia's Defense Ministry cast doubt on Trump's assertion on Sunday however, saying in a statement it did not have any reliable information about the U.S. operation and citing four reasons why the U.S. version of events looked suspicious.

"The growing number of direct participants in the operation and countries who allegedly took part in this 'operation', each with totally contradictory details, gives rise to justified questions and doubts about whether it took place and in particular how successful it was," the defence ministry said ...
 
Interesting observation.. maybe I missed it from another post any rate.

https://www.facebook.com/1662441767202284/posts/2424369164342870/?sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e
 
Baden Guy said:
So it wasn't just me ! You knew going in that he probably couldn't resist grandstanding and blow a few secrets.  And his big congrats to the Russians for their help. :(

So my first impression wasn't far off.

"Officials cringed as Trump spilled sensitive details of al-Baghdadi raid"
Some details the president has revealed are inaccurate, others are classified. Officials say they worry what to put in briefings for a man with no filter.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/officials-cringe-trump-spills-sensitive-details-al-baghdadi-raid-n1073001
 
I love how despite Trump acknowledging & praising Russia's "assistance" -- even the Kremlin was like "Ummmmmmm, yeah...there's some pretty big questions marks about this whole thing."  :D
 
As long as the guy is dead!  the other stuff really doesn't matter at all.
 
Dead men tell no tales; capturing HVTs is more valuable than killing them, generally.
 
dapaterson said:
Dead men tell no tales; capturing HVTs is more valuable than killing them, generally.

The US would have liked to capture him but the HVT evidently chose death  over life in a cell. Sadly he took several children with him to paradise.
 
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