Islamic State’s al-Baghdadi Believed Killed in US Raid
Sources around the Middle East say they believe that US Special Forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi overnight between Saturday and Sunday during a raid in Syria. News agencies are quoting unnamed American officials as saying there was indeed a raid and that Baghdadi was the target, but no one is yet confirming his death. The White House says President Donald Trump will make a “major statement” Sunday morning Washington time. Reports say the raid took place in Syria’s Idlib Province, a stronghold of Islamists once affiliated with ISIS’s rival, al-Qaida. Previous intelligence assessments said Baghdadi was believed to have gone underground somewhere near the Syria-Iraq border when ISIS was driven from its last populated strongholds in the area earlier this year.