Syria: Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in a US special forces raid
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the militant group Isis, was killed on Saturday in a US special forces raid in north-western Syria, President Donald Trump announced from the White House on Sunday.
Trump announced the death Sunday, after hinting at the news on Twitter on Saturday night, tweeting, “Something very big has just happened!”
At a Sunday press conference at the White House, Trump said, “Last night the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.”
According to Trump, the terrorist leader died after detonating a suicide vest following a battle at an ISIS compound. Al-Baghdadi has been declared dead before; the president said US officials are confident he is now actually dead due to a DNA test conducted on the leader’s body.