ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Killed During US Military Operation, Trump Says

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , leader of the self-described Islamic State, was killed during a US military operation in northwestern Syria, President Donald Trump announced during a press conference Sunday.

Last night, the United States brought the worlds number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, Trump began. He was the founder and leader of ISIS the most ruthless and violent terror organisation anywhere in the world.

According to the president, US special operations forces conducted the nighttime raid and accomplished their mission in grand style. American military dogs chased Baghdadi to the end of a tunnel, where he was whimpering and crying and screaming all the way, Trump said.

As U.S. forces closed in on him, Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and three of his young children, Trump said.

He died like a dog, he said. He died like a coward.

The president said U.S. forces conducted a DNA test to determine Baghdadi was killed during the operation.

They have his DNA more of it than they even want, he said. They did an onsite test. They had samples. ... It was positive.

Trump said many ISIS fighters were killed but no US personnel suffered injuries in the operation save for one military dog that followed Baghdadi into the tunnel and was wounded.

Defence Secretary Mark Esper later corrected the presidents remarks, saying two US soldiers had also suffered minor injuries in the raid. Theyve already returned to duty, Esper said of the injured Americans, according to CNN .

Last night, the United States brought the worlds #1 terrorist leader to justice.

Trump announces the killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder and leader of ISIS, which he called the top national security priority of his administration pic.twitter.com/3ovZHug4jm

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Last night, the United States brought the worlds #1 terrorist leader to justice.

Trump announces the killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder and leader of ISIS, which he called the top national security priority of his administration pic.twitter.com/3ovZHug4jm
Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) October 27, 2019

Speculation had been rife in the hours leading up to Trumps announcement as to whether Baghdadi, whod been in hiding for the last five years, had been killed in the US assault.

Trump appeared to hint at the news in a cryptic tweet, saying on Saturday night without elaboration that something very big just happened.

Of his tweet, Trump who watched the operation unfold from the Situation Room said Sunday that he sent that right after I knew US troops had landed safely in a very friendly country after the raid.

Something very big has just happened!

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Donald J. Trump","author_url":"https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump","cache_age":86400,"description":"Something very big has just happened! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2019\n\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Donald J. 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Something very big has just happened!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2019

Trump said he informed some Republican members of Congress on Sunday morning about Baghdadis death, but acknowledged that he did not alert congressional leadership of the planned raid ahead of its execution.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff applauded Baghdadis demise, calling him a bloodthirsty killer, but said Trump made a mistake by not giving him and the rest of the Gang of Eight a bipartisan group of congressional leaders a heads-up beforehand.

Had something gone wrong, had we gotten into a firefight with the Russians, its to the administrations advantage to say we informed Congress, Schiff said during an interview Sunday with ABCs This Week.

He said then-President Barack Obama had notified the Gang of Eight ahead of the US operation that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011.

NEW: House Intel Chair Adam Schiff to @ThisWeekABC on death of ISIS leader: \"Good riddance. This was a bloodthirsty killer.\" https://t.co/GRPIcauFpK pic.twitter.com/HZV0yyA4Mu

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This was a bloodthirsty killer.\" https://t.co/GRPIcauFpK pic.twitter.com/HZV0yyA4Mu This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 27, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":675,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EH5KBi6WwAImQZA.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"This Week on 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NEW: House Intel Chair Adam Schiff to @ThisWeekABC on death of ISIS leader: "Good riddance. This was a bloodthirsty killer." https://t.co/GRPIcauFpK pic.twitter.com/HZV0yyA4Mu
This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 27, 2019

As the leader of ISIS since 2010, Baghdadi oversaw the groups expansion from an extremist cell under the umbrella of al Qaeda into a sprawling international terror organization.

ISIS took over large parts of Iraq and Syria under Baghdadis leadership, and claimed numerous deadly terror attacks across the world. But in recent years ISIS has essentially gone back underground after losing nearly all the territory it seized. Much of its core leadership has been captured or killed, and it no longer occupies any major cities.

Baghdadis death is a major blow to the group and leaves no obvious immediate successor.