Briefing the media at the White House on Sunday, the US President Donald Trump claimed that the ringleader of ISIL terrorist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a US raid on his compound in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Saturday in an operation of the US special forces.
Trump said that al-Baghdadi blew himself up and died "like a dog," and "like a coward".
The US president said the ISIL leader detonated his suicide vest while “crying and wimping” during an overnight raid by American special ops forces in Syria, according to Press TV.
He said the explosion was so strong that al-Bghdadi’s body was “mutilated” and the tunnel was destroyed but forensics teams were able to identify his remains.
Al-Baghdadi's identity was confirmed by on-site DNA tests "15 minutes" after he was killed, Trump said, adding, the tests provided "certain, immediate and totally positive" identification that the body belonged to the terrorist chief.
He noted that many of al-Baghdadi’s “people” were killed in the operation but no American soldiers were killed or injured.
The American president said he watched the operation alongside Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and a few others.
He marveled to reporters about the quality of the video feed, saying it was "like a movie."
Trump also thanked Russia, Turkey, Iraq and Syria as well as Syrian Kurds for helping with the operation.
The American head of state claimed that Moscow “did not know the nature” of the mission, but was informed ahead that it was going to happen.
KI