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Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in US raid, says Donald Trump - live updates
Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in US raid, says Donald Trump - latest updates
(31 minutes later)
Trump returns to paying tribute to the US dog that was injured in the operation. “The canine, a beautiful dog, a talented dog, was injured and brought back,” he says.
He says he and his team were gathered in the situation room at 5pm yesterday. The lift-off started moments later. He says that there were shots fired at the US helicopters as they were travelling towards the site and that the helicopters shot back.
They conducted an on-site DNA test and brought body parts back with them. He says that positive identification of Baghdadi was made about 15 minutes later.
Trump said that the European nations had been a tremendous disappointment for not taking back captured Isis fighters. “My people called a lot and said take your Isis fighters ...,” he says. He singles out France, Germany and the UK.
Trump says the US tax payer isn’t going to pay to look after other countries’ Isis fighters.
The decision to pull US troops out of Syria was not linked to this operation, says Trump.
The president sent his tweet last night (saying “Something very big has just happened!”) once he knew the mission had been successful and that the US personnel involved had landed safely, he says. Trump says he wanted to let journalists know that there would be a big announcement today, so they weren’t “out playing golf, or playing tennis, or otherwise indisposed”.
He says that Baghdadi’s followers should be told how he died. “He didn’t die a hero, he died a coward,” says Trump. “Crying, whimpering and screaming and bringing three kids with him.”
The operation started two weeks ago, says the president.
He says that many of Baghdadi’s team were killed and that the exact number would be confirmed in the coming days. Trump says the US lost no personnel in the operation, despite being greeted with “fire power like you wouldn’t believe”. He adds that a US dog was injured.
Trump says the US had been following Baghdadi for some weeks.
He says that it was dangerous for the US to fly over other people’s territory, but they had cooperation from other countries. “We flew very, very low and very fast.”
“Russia treated us great... Iraq was excellent. We really had great cooperation,” he says. Trump says Turkey knew they were “going in”.
“We met with gun fire coming in, but that was local gun fire,” he says.
Baghdadi was “a sick and depraved man,” says Trump, “and now he’s gone”. He was “vicious and violent and he died in a vicious and violent way”.
Trump thanks Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq and the Syrian Kurds for “certain support they were able to give us”. He thanks “the great intelligence professionals” and the armed forces.
He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place. God bless America.
Trump says that under his direction the US has “obliterated his caliphate” 100%. He describes Baghdadi and his supporters as losers.
Trump says that under his direction the US has “obliterated his caliphate” 100%. He describes Baghdadi and his supporters as losers.
They had no idea what they were getting into – in some cases they were very frightened puppies and in other cases they were hardcore killers.
They had no idea what they were getting into – in some cases they were very frightened puppies and in other cases they were hardcore killers.
Trump says that Baghdadi died “whimpering and crying and screaming” after running into a dead end tunnel.
Trump says that Baghdadi died “whimpering and crying and screaming” after running into a dead end tunnel.
He says 11 young children were moved out of the house and are uninjured, but that Baghdadi brought three of his young children with him as he tried to escape down the tunnel. He then ignited a suicide vest, also killing his three children.
He says 11 young children were moved out of the house and are uninjured, but that Baghdadi brought three of his young children with him as he tried to escape down the tunnel. He then ignited a suicide vest, also killing his three children.
Test results gave “certain and immediate identification”, says Trump. “It was him.”
Test results gave “certain and immediate identification”, says Trump. “It was him.”
President Donald Trump has just started speaking. He says last night the US brought the “world’s greatest terrorist leader to justice”. “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead,” he says.
President Donald Trump has just started speaking. He says last night the US brought the “world’s greatest terrorist leader to justice”. “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead,” he says.
President Trump is about to give a press conference at the White House. You can follow it live above or on YouTube here.
President Trump is about to give a press conference at the White House. You can follow it live above or on YouTube here.
Here is a useful explainer from the Guardian’s international correspondent, Michael Safi.
Here is a useful explainer from the Guardian’s international correspondent, Michael Safi.
Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and why is he important?
Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and why is he important?
Over the years there have have been multiple reports of Baghdadi’s death.
In June 2016, news outlets reported that the Isis leader was dead after a digitally altered image, claiming to be a statement from the terrorist group, was released. In June 2017, a senior Russian politician was reported to have said that the likelihood that the Isis leader had been killed was close to 100%. A month later a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official said he was 99% sure Baghdadi was alive.
In the al-Hol camp for Isis detainees and their families in northern Syria, there are mixed reactions to the reports of Baghdadi’s death.
One side, which despises the organisation, is celebrating. The so-called ‘irreconcilable’ section is solemn and silent. One of the female detainees there said: “We don’t respond to news from infidels”.
Two officials have told the Guardian’s Martin Chulov that the raid followed a month-long intelligence operation that had tracked Baghdadi to the region through a smuggler who moved the wives of two of his brothers from Iraq to Idlib.
An Iraqi intelligence official said the wives of Baghdadi’s two brothers, Jumah and Ahmad, along with other family members, were monitored as they moved to the region. The information was passed to the CIA earlier this month, the officials said.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have issued statements welcoming “a successful and historical” joint intelligence operation with the US. The Guardian has not independently verified their claims of involvement.
From the SDF’s general commander:
Successful& historical operation due to a joint intelligence work with the United States of America.
From the head of the SDF’s press office:
Successful and effective operation by our forces is yet another proof of SDF's anti-terror capability. We continue to work with our partners in the global @coalition in the fight against ISIS terrorism. #DefeatDaesh
The Guardian has heard from first responders who were called by the neighbours after the attack. They say US troops gave the neighbours 10 children who were taken from the house that was raided. The house was being used by an Abu Mohammed al-Halabi.
A senior Turkish official has told AFP that Baghdadi only arrived at his location 48 hours before the raid.
To the best of my knowledge, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi arrived at this location 48 hours prior to the raid. We have been in close coordination with the relevant parties.
The Turkish military did have advance knowledge of last night’s raid.
I can neither confirm nor deny that any intelligence was shared to facilitate last night’s operation.
This is from Turkey’s ministry of national defence. They say that they exchanged information with the US ahead of the operation, which is thought to have targeted Baghdadi.
Prior to the US Operation in Idlib Province of Syria last night, information exchange and coordination between the military authorities of both countries took place.#MSB #TSK
On 10 January this year, Baghdadi survived a coup attempt launched by foreign fighters in his eastern Syrian hideout.
The incident took place in a village near Hajin in the Euphrates River valley, where the jihadist group was clinging to its last sliver of land.
Regional intelligence officials told our middle east correspondent Martin Chulov that a planned move against Baghdadi led to a firefight between foreign fighters and the fugitive terrorist chief’s bodyguards, who then fled with him to the nearby deserts.
Here’s his full report:
‘The fighting was intense’: witness tells of two-day attempt to kill Isis leader
Baghdadi – who has led Isis since 2010, when it was still an underground al-Qaida offshoot in Iraq – has been the subject of an international manhunt for years and has a $25m bounty on his head. He was long thought to be hiding somewhere along the Iraq-Syria border.
On 16 September, Isis’s media network issued a 30-minute audio message purporting to come from Baghdadi, in which he said operations were taking place daily and called on supporters to free women jailed in camps in Iraq and Syria over their alleged links to his group.
In April he appeared in a video for the first time in five years, weeks after the remnants of the terrorist group were ousted from their last organised stronghold in the eastern Syrian desert. Baghdadi blamed the demise of Isis on the “savagery” of Christians.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State terror group, is believed to have died in a US raid in north-western Syria overnight, intelligence officials have claimed. His death is unconfirmed.
Guardian correspondents Martin Chulov and Michael Safi report that the raid followed a month-long intelligence operation that had tracked Baghdadi to the region through a smuggler who had moved the wives of two of his brothers from Iraq to Idlib.
Donald Trump is due to make what has been described as a “major statement” in Washington at 9am on Sunday morning (1300 GMT).
The president tweeted on Saturday night:
Something very big has just happened!
You can read our full report here:
Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi believed dead in US raid
Intelligence officials told the Guardian that Baghdadi may have detonated a suicide belt as troops approached a house near the Turkish border in which he was hiding. The blast is thought to have also killed two of his wives.
Explosions and gunfire were reported from the small town of Barisha at about 1.30am local time on Sunday. It is understood that the Isis leader had been tracked to the home of one of his bodyguards who attempted to defend him. The raid is thought to have left at least nine people dead.
Iraqi state television aired footage on Sunday that it said showed the raid.
I’m Frances Perraudin and I’ll be live blogging as we find out more. You can contact me on Twitter on @fperraudin.
