The death of Baghdadi was an important win for Trump weeks after his sudden decision to withdraw US troops from Syria sparked a wave of harsh criticism,including from fellow Republicans,that the move would lead to a resurgence of Islamic State.
"The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear,panic and dread,terrified of the American forces coming down on him,"Trump said.
"He reached the end of the tunnel as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest,killing himself and his three children. His body was mutilated by the blasts. The tunnel had caved on him."
"He was whimpering and crying and screaming all the way. He died like a dog. He died like a coward."
Trump repeatedly alluded to the idea that this operation was bigger thanthe one that killed Osama bin Laden under President Barack Obama in 2011.
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"This is the biggest one perhaps that we've ever captured,"Trump said Sunday."This is the biggest there is. This is the worst ever. Osama bin Laden was big,but Osama bin Laden became big with the World Trade Centre. This is a man who built a whole,as he would like to call it,a country."
Iraq involved
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi immediately called on the White House to brief US lawmakers on the raid,noting that Trump informed Russia of the raid before telling congressional leadership.
Iraq also appeared to be involved,with the US raid operating out of that country. Iraq's National Intelligence Service had found the IS leader's location and provided the details to the United States,the Iraqi military said.
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"After constant monitoring and the formation of a specialised task force over an entire year,the Iraqi National Intelligence Service acting on accurate information was able to locate the den in which the head of Daesh terrorists Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and those with him were hiding in the Syrian province of Idlib,"the Iraqi military said in a statement. Daesh is another name for Islamic State.
Russia opened up its air space for the raid and Kurdish allies gave some helpful information,according to Trump,who watched the operation unfold with Vice-President Mike Pence and others.
Trump said the raid would not change his decision to withdraw troops from Syria.
US forces included the elite Delta Force,a US official told Reuters. The only injury to US forces was to a dog,Trump said.
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The President had given an indication that something was afoot earlier on Saturday night when he tweeted without explanation,"Something very big has just happened!"
US officials had feared that Islamic State would seek to capitalise on the upheaval in Syria,but they also saw a potential opportunity in which Islamic State leaders might break from more secretive routines to communicate with operatives,potentially creating a chance for the United States and its allies to detect them.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper told CNN the US mission had sought to capture Islamic State leader if possible,but kill him if necessary.
Baghdadi was long thought to hiding somewhere along the Iraq-Syria border. He has led the group since 2010,when it was still an underground al-Qaeda offshoot in Iraq.
withReuters