President Donald Trump announced the death of another ISIS leader Tuesday, saying that U.S. forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s replacement.
Trump did not name the terrorist who U.S. troops purportedly took out, but claimed that he would have been Baghdadi’s “number one replacement.”
“Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops,” the president said on Twitter. “Most likely would have taken the top spot – Now he is also Dead!”
Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot – Now he is also Dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2019
Al-Baghdadi died in a U.S. raid over the weekend in Northern Syria after nearly a decade as one of the world’s most wanted terrorists. Al-Baghdadi became the head of ISIS in 2013, and participated in the brutal rape and murder of Arizona woman Kayla Mueller in 2015. (RELATED: REPORT: ISIS Gloats Over Notre Dame’s Destruction)
Trump said Al-Baghdadi died “whimpering and screaming,” in a Sunday morning speech.
“He died after running into a dead end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way,” Trump said.
The killing of Al-Baghdadi and his replacement mark a major victory for the U.S. and the Trump Administration over ISIS, at a time when the president has faced significant criticism from both sides of the aisle over his policy in the region.