The first images of the military operation that led last Sunday, on the death of the head of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, were published Wednesday, October 30, by the US Department of Defense.
The black and white aerial images show US special forces approaching the building where the jihadist leader was, while a US plane was firing on nearby fighters.
Another video, the most spectacular, shows a thick cloud of black smoke rising from the ground after the bombs have shaved the complex.
Part of the purpose of the destruction of the building was "to ensure that it would not be a sanctuary or memorial in any form," said General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, which oversees the troops deployed in the area. Middle East.
Probable retaliation
During a press briefing at the Pentagon, the latter said that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had dragged along with him two children - and not three, as the American administration had initially estimated - in a complex underground zone. and in a tunnel, to escape. "He crawled in a tunnel with two children and blew himself up while his men stayed on the ground," he detailed.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was isolated only a few kilometers from the Turkish border. Fighters from other groups in the area were probably unaware that he was there, Kenneth McKenzie said.
The general also warned that the Islamic State group was likely to attempt to organize an attack in retaliation. "We are posted and we are prepared for that," he said.
With Reuters