Trump confirms death of Daesh chief Baghdadi in raid by US forces
WASHINGTON (Web Desk) – US President Donald J Trump confirmed on Sunday that Daesh supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed in an operation conducted by American forces. “The number one terrorist in the world has been killed,” said Trump in a video message. “He was killed by an operation conducted by the US forces. Baghdadi was in a ditch.” The elusive chief of Daesh was thought to be dead after a US military raid in the Idlib region, US media reported early on Sunday. The White House announced President Donald Trump would make a major statement on Sunday at 9:00am (1300 GMT), without providing details. A war monitor said US helicopters dropped forces in an area of Idlib where "groups linked to Daesh" were present. Trump said that Baghdadi had killed himself in a suicide bomb attack. He said that the explosion also killed three of Baghdadi’s children. Earlier in the day, the US media claimed that Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reportedly killed during a US military operation in Syria. The Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a special operation conducted by US military forces on the approval of US President Donald Trump before a week. The Reuter reported that the IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a US military operation in Syria, sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said on Sunday, as Donald Trump prepared to make a major statement at the White House. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told Reuters Baghdadi was targeted in the overnight raid but was unable to say whether the operation was successful. A commander of one of the militant factions in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib said Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a raid after midnight on Saturday involving helicopters, warplanes and a ground clash in the village of Brisha near the Turkish border. Two Iraqi security sources and two Iranian officials said they had received confirmation from inside Syria that Baghdadi had been killed. “Iran was informed about Baghdadi’s death by Syrian officials who got it from the field,” one of the officials said. Newsweek, which first reported the news, said it had been told by a US Army official briefed on the raid that Baghdadi was dead. It said the operation was carried out by special operations forces after receiving actionable intelligence. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley announced late on Saturday that Trump would make a “major statement” at 9am on Sunday. Gidley gave no further details as to the topic of Trump’s statement. The president gave an indication that something was afoot earlier on Saturday night when he tweeted without explanation, “Something very big has just happened!” Trump has faced withering criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike for his US troop withdrawal from northeastern Syria, which permitted Turkey to attack America’s Kurdish allies.
