File photo of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. BBC/AFP.
As you are surely aware, the United States lead a military raid against ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The BBC has a good round up of how that mission went down, but I will summarize here.
The United States found al-Baghdadi's location and had been spying on him for a week before President Trump launched the raid. Once they had his location locked down in Barisha Syria, in Idlib province, they sent a force of 8 helicopters and a team of Delta Force and Army Rangers. They informed both Turkey and Russia that they were launching the opperation and both countries allowed the helicopters to fly through their territory. The helicopters did come under small arms fire from local insurgents, but were not destroyed.
Once on site, US forces killed or captured most of the fighters there. They killed two of Baghdadi's wives and rescued 11 children. Baghdadi fled into a tunnel with no exit with three of his kids. Baghdadi was being pursued by US military dogs and detonated a suicide vest when it was clear that he had no way to escape, killing himself and the three children and wounding a military dog.
Baghdadi's death was confirmed by use of DNA samples and other means. Parts of his body were recovered and taken back. ISIS has denied that he died but US forces have proof that he did. The raid was successful and no US casualties were suffered. It's unlikely that we will see his remains anytime soon due to the extremely destructive way he died and the fact that there wasn't much left of his body.
Though it's generally agreed that killing Baghdadi was a good thing that doesn't mean the raid was free from controversy. President Trump did not inform key Democratic members of congress including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Foreign Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff citing the presence of leakers that could put the operation at risk.
I think that was the right move. President Trump is right that Washington leaks like a sieve and if he had given this information to Pelosi or Schiff before the raid it's very possible that they would have leaked it. I don't think they care one bit about the lives of US special forces operators if it means that they could damage President Trump with failed raid. And if they personally didn't leak to the media someone on their staff definitely would have. Right now the only thing Democrats care about is trying to remove President Trump before he beats them in the 2020 election and there is nothing that they won't do to stop him, including putting US troops lives on the line.
As for the US media their reaction has been poor to say the least. Most shameful was the Washington Post who, in a now deleted headline, called Baghdadi an "austere religious scholar". Considering the incredible list of atrocities the man committed that is just shameful. Other outlets criticized Trump for saying too much about the raid, not informing congress and for being much more harsh against Baghdadi compared to other Presidents.
I personally think that Trump was excellent during his speech to the nation this morning. I watched the whole thing, including the Q&A session afterwards that many networks cut away from, this morning. I think it was one of his better speeches and he did a good job reminding people what kind of monster Baghdadi really was. He also praised US troops and the various nations that helped (or at least didn't hinder) this operation. I had planned to live tweet the event but I was so captivated by what he was saying that I just couldn't do it. It was fitting that he mentioned some of the more notable people killed by ISIS including James Foley, Kayla Mueller and Mutah al-Kasasbah. And he also, critically, mentioned the genocides against Christians and Yazidis as well.
As for the raid itself, it just goes to show how good our troops can be when let off of their leashes. Idlib province is the wild west and it's one of the few areas still controlled by Jihadists in Syria. They managed to get in, get out and accomplish all of their objectives with no casualties other than a military dog.
Speaking of the military dog, as far as I am concerned it's a hero too. The dogs of war have always been a component to our military and they have saved hundreds of human lives. I also appreciated that one of the last things Baghdadi saw was a dog bearing down on him considering how Muslims think dogs are "unclean".
As for Baghdadi himself, I personally was relieved that he died. I started this blog in 2014 in part to document the horrible things ISIS was doing in the world. I have written thousands of words of all the horrible things that ISIS has done and while researching them I have seen things that nobody should ever see. A group of men being drowned alive in a cage. The blood from dozens of Christians turning the waters of the Mediterranean Sea red. A toddler being forced to murder someone. More executions than I can even recall. Not to mention the list of terror attacks and atrocities that go on and on.
Baghdadi was without a doubt the 21st centuries most evil man and his ideology and terror group that he inspired is responsible for untold human suffering. He was a monster and the world is a much safer, better place without him in it. I celebrate his death and sincerely hope that ISIS finally dies with him.
President Trump was right to call the man a coward as he died a cowardly death. Instead of standing and fighting he ran away taking three of his kids with him as human shields. When it was clear he had no escape he blew himself up, killing his own children. Even in death he ended up taking even more innocent lives. I'm not a very religious man and I don't know what happens when you die. But I do sincerely hope that if there is a hell that Baghdadi is there right now. He did everything in his power to bring hell to the world and, at the very least, he was brought to justice.
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