The United States (U.S.) has released video and images today, i.e., Wednesday, October 30, 2019, depicting the 2-hour raid in North-Western Province of Idlib in Syria where the leader of the terrorist group leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed.
For the records, Baghdadi killed himself on October 26, 2019 and 2 children, aged under 12, by detonating a suicide vest while whimpering and crying during the raid conducted by the U.S. Delta Force. Baghdadi’s death was communicated by the special operations forces when they declared “jackpot” at 7:15 p.m. The President of U.S. – Donald Trump along with other key military personnel was watching the raid live form the Situation Room.
Post the raid, Trump said, “He was whimpering and crying like a coward.”
The remains of Baghdadi were flown back to a staging base for identification and were then buried at sea within 24 hours of his death, in accordance with the laws of armed conflict.
The video and images released by U.S. show U.S. forces taking small arms fire from multiple locations as their helicopters approached the compound. An overhead drone video shows commandoes approaching Baghdadi’s compound and aerial strikes carried out by US F-15 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper Drones to blow up the site once it was cleared.
The U.S. Marine Corps General who currently serves as the 14th Commander of U.S. Central Command – Kenneth Franklin “Frank” Mc Kenzie Jr. said that the DNA used to confirm Baghdadi’s identity was from samples collected during his previous detention at Camp Bucca in Iraq.
Mc Kenzie said, “He crawled into a hole with two small children and blew himself up while his people stayed on the ground. So you can deduce what type of person that is based on that activity.”
While it was initially believed that Baghdadi had killed 3 children after detonating his suicide vest in a tunnel, McKenzie said updated information had revealed that only 2 children had been with him, with both of them being assessed to be under 12 years of age.
The video also shows U.S. helicopters conducting strikes against enemy fighters that had fired unleashed attack at U.S. aircraft as they approached the target. The U.S. has also collected documents and electronics from the site before the compound was destroyed in an airstrike. These documents will help U.S. in providing intelligence that could aid future operations against ISIS.
Minutes after the Pentagon briefing, Donald Trump began his remarks at the Medal of Honor Ceremony for Army Master Sgt. Matthew Williams by thanking the Secretary of Defense – Mark Esper for the raid eliminating Baghdadi.
Speaking on the occasion, Trump said, “Thank you Mark, and a great job to you and everybody and to General Milley for the incredible act you performed days ago with al-Baghdadi.”
He further said, “I just want to say for all of our military we are very proud of you. It was something very special. The whole world is proud of you frankly. So thank you very much. Thank you. Great job.”
Esper told media, “This is a devastating blow. This is not just their leader, it’s their founder. He was an inspirational leader in many ways. He formed ISIS in 2014, he led to establishing the physical caliphate throughout the region, so this is a major blow to them.”
Who was Baghdadi?
He was the leader of the terror outfit ISIL. The ISIL was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations (U.N.) as well as by the European Union (E.U.). he was a deadly terrorist who carried out genocides, extensive sexual slavery, organized rape, floggings, and systematic executions. He directed terrorist activities and massacres. He embraced brutality as part of the organization’s propaganda efforts, producing videos displaying mass crucifixions, sexual slavery and executions via hacking and stoning.
The U.S. Department of State had put a reward of U.S. $ 10 million on Baghdadi. This was increased to U.S. $ 25 million in 2017.
SDF played a key role in the raid
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) played a major role as they provided early intelligence which proved helpful to U.S.
The SDF had an informant in ISIS who lead them to the location where Baghdadi was hiding. The informant was also able to obtain Baghdadi’s underwear and blood sample that were used to confirm his identity through DNA, before the raid took place.
Who are Kurds?
Kurd refers to an Iranian ethnic group native to Western Asia. Geographically, this mostly mountainous area, known as Kurdistan, includes South-Eastern Turkey, North-Western Iran, Northern Iraq and Northern Syria.
After the World War One (1914-1918), the victorious Western allies made provision for a Kurdish State in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres. The promise was nullified 3 years later, when the Treaty of Lausanne set the boundaries of modern Turkey and made no such provision, leaving Kurds with minority status in their respective countries. This fact has led to numerous genocides and rebellions, along with the current ongoing armed guerrilla conflicts in Turkey, Iran, and Syria / Rojava. It is estimated that the total population of Kurds is between 30 and 45 million.
U.S. – Kurdish relations
It is to be noted that Kurdish YPG fighters have until now received strong support from the U.S. for helping U.S. in the latter’s campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS).
