ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Killed in U.S. Raid in Syria, Trump Confirms

Joshua Geltzer was quoted for an article from NBC News on Trump's announcement of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The world’s most wanted terrorist, the Islamic State militant group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed Saturday in a U.S.-led raid in northwestern Syria, President Donald Trump announced Sunday.

Addressing the nation live from the White House, Trump said al-Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children, detonating a suicide vest as U.S. forces closed in after a "dangerous and daring" raid.

"Last night, the United States brought the world's No. 1 terrorist leader to justice," Trump said. "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead."

"Capturing or killing him has been the top national security priority of my administration," he said.

Trump and his top national security officials gathered in the White House situation room Saturday to watch what would be the most consequential military operation of his presidency so far. What they saw or later learned, as Trump told it, was just how a Hollywood script-doctor might have written it.

Eight helicopters were met with gunfire as they approached the compound, and returned fire to neutralize the threat. When the choppers landed "a large crew of brilliant fighters" emerged. They blew holes into the building to avoid a booby-trapped main door.

Trump said al-Baghdadi died "whimpering and crying and screaming all the way" into a dead-end tunnel.

"He reached the end of the tunnel as our dogs chased them down" and then detonated the suicide vest, killing himself and three of his children, Trump said.