News brief: The elusive Islamic State Commander Abu Baker al-Baghdadi, killed during U.S military operations

by Ronald Lucas
edited by Tyler Peterson and Paul Lambert

President Donald Trump announced on October 27th that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State, was killed during a military operation, according to the Washington Post

(Photo: Washington Post) Trump says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up as U.S. troops closed in

On Monday morning in a televised announcement from the White House Trump said, “Last night, the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice.”

Trump said, “The whole operation was a very dangerous and daring nighttime operation, helicopters inserted a team of American Special Operations troops into a volatile area of northwest Syria where the troops  assaulted on a militant compound.” al-Baghdadi retreated into a underground hideaway, or “dead-end tunnel,” as Trump called it. There the militant leader detonated an explosive vest, killing himself and three of his children.

The operation brought a dramatic end to a years-long hunt for the man who spearheaded the Islamic States transformation from an underground insurgent band to a powerful quasi-state.

With  al-Baghdadi dead the U.S intelligence team “is tracking six Islamic State individuals in succession to Baghdadi” who U.S officials described as al-Baghdadi “executive VPs.”