Trump Says ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Dead After U.S.-Led Raid

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media prior to his departure from the South Lawn of the White House October 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump is traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, to speak at the 2019 Second Step Presidential Justice Forum.
Trump says he watched the raid with Pence in the Situation Room, although he didn't explain how he watched it.

The leader of the Islamic State died during a raid led by the U.S. in Syria. Reports initially emerged on Saturday that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died but Trump confirmed it this morning during a press conference.

Shealah Craighead/The White House via Getty Images

"A brutal killer, one who has caused so much hardship and death, has violently been eliminated," Trump said from the White House. "He will never again harm another innocent man, woman or child. He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place."

Trump explained that al-Baghdadi died after he ran into a dead-end in a tunnel while being chased by United States Special Operations commandos in Northwest Syria. Al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, killing three of his children. Trump said he was "whimpering, crying and screaming all the way."

Although speculation of Al-Baghdadi's death circulated the web yesterday, Trump seemingly hinted that this was true on Twitter last night. During the conference, he explained that the DNA test finally came in and confirmed that it was Al-Baghdadi.

"This raid was impeccable and could only have taken place with the acknowledgment and help of certain other nations and people. I want to thank the nations of Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq and I also want to thank the Syrian kurds for certain support they were able to give us," he said.

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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