“Al-Baghdadi has been killed… in a daring nighttime raid,” Trump said in a live address from the White House.

The US troops involved in the elimination of the terrorist “accomplished the mission in grand style,” he said. The IS leader met his end “crying and screaming” due to being terrified by Americans might, Trump boasted.

He died like a dog, like a coward. The world now is a much safer place.

Military choppers and even drones provided air cover as US special forces engaged targets on the ground in Idlib province – the last major terrorist stronghold in the country. The US leader also confirmed reports that al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest during the encounter and that his body was "mutilated." 

Hours before Trump’s announcement, a commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, hailed the “successful, historic operation as a result of joint intelligence work with the US.”

The Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) leader’s whereabouts were unknown for years. He made public appearances only a handful of times since founding his “worldwide caliphate” in 2014.

There have been previous reports of al-Baghdadi’s death, but none were confirmed. At the height of its power, al-Baghdadi’s terrorist group controlled vast swathes of Iraq and Syria. The Syrian Army, aided by Iran and Russia, has nearly eradicated the group from its territory.

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