The World’s Most Wanted Man is Dead

By Shannon Bausinger, Associate Editor

In the early hours of October 27, 2019 President Trump announced ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had died by suicide after being surrounded in a tunnel by U.S. forces. No U.S. personnel losses were suffered, although many of Baghdadi’s people were killed including his three children who were alongside him when the suicide vest was detonated. This successful mission followed the cancelation of other attacks set to take place in preceding weeks.

Baghdadi rose to prominence in 2014 when he declared the creation of a caliphate. Under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS has been held responsible for a reign of terror; displacing millions and engaging in barbaric practices, including countless murders. In 2017 ISIS lost control of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, thereby causing Baghdadi to become a fugitive. Despite this loss of land and apparent loss of control by Baghdadi, U.S. forces remained vigilant of what they still considered a hardened force, recognizing it as necessary to remain on the offensive with ISIS to prevent any resurgence.

Years of airstrikes took place killing top leadership within ISIS and creating conflicting reports as to whether Baghdadi had been one of those killed. These reports of the leader’s death were extinguished in April 2019 when a video of Baghdadi was published on the internet. As early as 2011, the U.S. considered Baghdadi a terrorist and issued a $10 million reward for any information on his whereabouts. This amount was increased to $25 million in 2017, when he was declared one of the world’s most wanted men.

The raid that lead to Baghdadi’s death took place near the Turkish border, on the opposite side of the country where Baghdadi had been thought be hiding within Syria. It has been reported that the information of Baghdadi’s location was given to the U.S. by Iraqi security forces. Although this location along the Turkish border is under the control of jihadists opposed to ISIS and Baghdadi, there have been accusations of rival groups hiding ISIS militants. The helicopters that began the mission, targeting the compound where Baghdadi was hiding, had to engage in hostile fire in order to gain control, the entire mission lasting approximately four hours according to residents. This includes two hours U.S. forces spent within the compound where Baghdadi was found and later died. The mission was a combined effort of several countries including, Syrian Kurdish-led forces, Russia, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.

With Baghdadi out of the picture, what does this mean for U.S. forces fighting against the Islamic State within Syria ? Earlier this month, President Trump ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. The President says that Baghdadi’s death will not change his decision to withdraw.

Under Baghdadi’s leadership, ISIS has waged a worldwide campaign of violence. In Iraq, the atrocities have amounted to what the United Nations considers a genocide of minorities in the country. With Baghdadi now dead, ISIS’s status and power, particularly within Syria, are uncertain.

References:

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: IS leader ‘dead after US raid’ in Syria,BBC News (October 27, 2019), available athttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50200339, last visited October 27, 2019

IS ‘caliphate’ defeated but jihadist group remains a threat, BBC News (March 23, 2019), available athttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45547595, last visited October 27, 2019

Steve Holland and Phil Stewart, Islamic State leader Baghdadi died ‘in panic and dread’, says Trump, Reuters (October 26, 2019), available at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi/trump-says-islamic-state-leader-baghdadi-dead-in-u-s-forces-raid-idUSKBN1X602N, last visited October 27, 2019

Missy Ryan and Dan Lamothe, Trump says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up as U.S. troops closed in (October 27, 2019), available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-forces-launch-operation-in-syria-targeting-isis-leader-baghdadi-officials-say/2019/10/27/081bc257-adf1-4db6-9a6a-9b820dd9e32d_story.html, last visited October 27, 2019