ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ‘DEAD after setting off his own suicide vest’ during a US Special Ops raid on his Syrian lair following a five-year manhunt
- Donald Trump plans to make a ‘major statement’ at the White House at 9am
- ISIS target believed to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has reportedly been killed by U.S.-led forces in Idlib, Syria
- Trump suggested something was afoot on Saturday night when he tweeted without explanation, ‘Something very big has just happened!’
- The CIA reportedly assisted in the locating of the terror chief
- Early reports suggests Baghdadi may have detonated his suicide vest in the raid
The leader of the Islamic State militant network is believed to be dead after being targeted by a US military raid in Syria.
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is thought to have detonated his own suicide vest during the targeted attack on his lair in Syria’s Idlib province.
A US official said confirmation that the IS chief was killed in an explosion is pending.
US President Donald Trump teased a major announcement, tweeting without explanation on Saturday night that ‘Something very big has just happened!’
He is set to make a ‘major statement’ at the White House at 9am on Sunday (1pm GMT).
Reports emerged late Saturday that al-Baghdadi, the elusive militant who has been the subject of an international manhunt for more than five years, had been killed in Barisha, north of Idlib.
A styill from a video released in April purporting to show Baghdadi, who had not been seen since he spoke at the Grand Mosque in Mosul in 2014.
Trump tweeted without explanation on Saturday, ‘Something very big has just happened!’
Newsweek, citing a U.S. Army official briefed on the result of the operation, said al-Baghdadi had been killed in the raid. The CIA reportedly assisted in the locating of the terror chief.
An audio recording believed to be the voice of Baghdadi was released last month by ISIS’ media wing al-Furqan, and called for members of the group to free Muslims held by ‘Crusaders and their Shiite followers.’
Trump cryptically tweeted on Saturday ahead of his White House announcement on Sunday morning
This followed a video in April purporting to show the leader, who had not been seen since he spoke at the Grand Mosque in Mosul in 2014.
The US had reportedly placed $25 million bounty on the head of the terror leader, who became leader ISIS in 2010.
The reported death of such a high-value US target comes amid a difficult political backdrop fro Trump, who has been frustrated by the U.S. news media’s heavy focus on the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry, which he calls an illegitimate witch hunt.
He has also faced withering criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike for his U.S. troop withdrawal from northeastern Syria, which permitted Turkey to attack America’s Kurdish allies.
Trump was expected to make the statement in the White House Diplomatic Reception Room, which he has used to make a number of major announcements.
Just last week he used the same room to announce that a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurds had taken hold. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
Reports suggest that al-Baghdadi, the elusive militant who has been the subject of an international manhunt for years, had been killed in Idlib, Syria