Saturday, October 26, 2019

Breaking News! ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reported dead after special forces raid in Syria.

A file photo of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Newsweek/AFP/Getty.

News broke this evening that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in a special forces raid in Syria. 

Newsweek reported the story here, claiming two anonymous sources, one from the Pentagon and one from the US military. They said that President Trump confirmed the raid and that the raid occurred in Idlib province, notable for being the last place under Jihadist control in Syria. Newsweek also said that Baghdadi is "dead pending verification", suggesting that the US government is still confirming that the body they collected is his. 

Fox News also has a brief article, citing another anonymous source that Baghdadi is dead. 

President Trump has also comment on Twitter, though he was vague. NBC news and other sources say that he has a major announcement set for tomorrow at 9:00 AM Eastern. 


A local Syrian reporter posted a couple of videos of what could be a raid. These videos are unconfirmed.



What's my take on this? I'm cautiously optimistic. Obviously something is going on and I think it's pretty clear that a raid did occur. In addition to the sources I cited above, local and regional news agencies in the Middle East are reporting the same thing, that Baghdadi is dead. And the rumor certainly matches what President Trump said on Twitter.

But I would also like to caution that without confirmation from the US government it's very possible that this story is wrong. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been reported dead many times before, more times than I can remember. Without him captured or his body in US custody, it's too soon to say that he is dead for sure.

Furthermore, as always, we should consider the fact that both the Newsweek and Fox News articles cited anonymous sources. There have been so many reports based on anonymous sources that ended up being wrong in the end that it's always important to point that out when it happens. It's always possible that these reports are partially or totally wrong.

From what it sounds, special forces raided the area where Baghdadi was suspected to be hiding and may have taken back a body. If true that body is likely being tested. I'm not sure how fast a DNA test takes or if they even have Baghdadi's DNA but if so we should know for sure soon. At the very least we should know something tomorrow at 9:00 AM eastern.

If Baghdadi really is dead or captured it will be a huge victory. Not just for President Trump, who will make political gains from the raid, but a victory for the entire world. ISIS was responsible for some of the most horrific attacks and killing in modern history including the Paris attacks, the bombings in Sri Lanka, the downing of a Russian airliner and more than a few terror attacks right here in the United States, along with untold murders and slaughters in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt and Libya. They were, without a doubt, the most evil group in the world and Baghdadi was their leader. I sincerely hope that he was indeed brought to justice.
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