US special forces killed the leader of the Islamic State terrorist organization Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during an operation in northwestern Syria, US President Donald Trump announced Sunday morning. But although Baghdadi's death is a blow to the group, it remains a threat in Syria, especially after hundreds of its members and their families fled detention centers during the offensive launched by Turkish-backed forces last month. Dana Stroll, now a senior research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: “It is important that this process succeeded, despite all the difficulties the Trump administration imposed on it, and that the elimination of Osama bin Laden did not lead to the elimination of al-Qaeda. Baghdadi's death will not be th Last Samar in the coffin (Daash) ».

The raid on Baghdadi's whereabouts was carried out by the first Special Forces battalion known as the Delta Force on October 26 after a complex intelligence operation and with the help of other US allies in the region, a senior administration official told Foreign Policy. The operation, involving US helicopters and special forces, began on the ground from Iraq and inside Syria, officials said. "Last night the United States was able to bring the world's number one terrorist to justice," Trump said Sunday at the White House. "The United States has not suffered any casualties during the operation. The world is safer now," he said.

Trump's victory

Baghdadi's death is a victory for Trump and his security team, who have spent many years pursuing the man who is the world's number one wanted man. But officials and experts say it is not equivalent to the damage done by the president when he pulled US troops out of the Turkish-Syrian border, where hundreds of ISIS members managed to escape detention centers held by Kurdish forces.

A senior US official said the operation by Delta forces, which killed Baghdadi, was "very difficult" due to the lack of US troops on the ground. He criticized Trump's withdrawal of US troops from Syria. "Baghdadi's death was a severe blow to ISIS, but the war against the terrorist organization is not over," the official said.

At the same time, reports emerged that al-Baghdadi's right arm, Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, a spokesman for the group, was targeted in a separate operation by US intelligence and its allies in the region. Chairman of the House Armament Committee, Democratic Representative Adam Smith, welcomed the killing of Baghdadi, but warned that "we must not believe that Baghdadi's death means the end of extremist organization." Many ISIS fighters remain in fragile conditions in prisons in northern Syria. "Certainly, ISIS fighters in these prisons and around the world will not rest as a result of Baghdadi's death."

Baghdadi was hiding in the Idlib area of ​​northwestern Syria, in an area controlled by the HTS, an anti-IS group, when the Delta operation began, according to a US official. Baghdadi dragged three of his children into a tunnel before blowing himself up with an explosive belt he was wearing, killing himself and his three children, according to Trump. Although his body became deformed and severed by the bombing and the collapse of the tunnel above it, the results of the examination at the scene «were confirmed and positive that the body of Baghdadi», said US Defense Secretary Mark Asper in a statement «It is a great day for America and the world. Last night, US Special Operations forces carried out an operation to capture or kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "With our allies in the region, we were able to kill the leader of ISIS. This is a great victory in order to eliminate the mission and its goals."

Trump thanked the Russian, Turkish, Syrian and Iraqi governments for their support and assistance in successfully completing the mission. The president said he saw the operation from the Situation Assessment Room with Defense Minister Asper, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Millie, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien and other generals.

Trump said the operation did not make him reconsider his decision to withdraw the majority of US troops from Syria. "We will withdraw US troops to protect oil," he said, adding that Syria's oil-rich oil fields are in eastern Syria, an area controlled by the SDF. ».

The United States had informed Turkey of the operation before the implementation to prevent any clash between the forces of the two countries, but did not specify the target for fear of leaking information, according to the US official. A US official said Turkey did not play a role in the operation. "Turkey did not provide any assistance in this process, although Baghdadi was near its borders, and this shows the extent of their interest in fighting terrorism," but the official «Twitter» account of the Turkish Defense Minister published “Before the US operation in Idlib last night, there was an exchange of information and coordination between the military authorities of the two countries,” he said.

Turkey launched an offensive in northeastern Syria in an operation that killed many civilians. There were prisons with thousands of ISIS fighters and their families.

Escape

During a US-sponsored interim ceasefire, Turkey pledged to continue fighting IS in Syria, but many ISIS prisoners escaped during the Turkish army operation in northern Syria, including a group deliberately smuggled by Turkish-backed forces. .

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which ran prisons with ISIS fighters, warned of the continuing dangers posed by ISIS and Turkish-backed forces. "We warn the world of the dangers of extremist groups entering the city of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad, occupied by Turkish-backed forces, and that the region could become a safe haven for ISIS forces, where they could have a chance to reorganize," the statement said.

Reports on Sunday indicated that Iraq claimed to have provided the United States with the exact whereabouts of Baghdadi, but a US official rejected the claim, saying the operation was based on intelligence from US intelligence.

Laurel Seligman is a Foreign Policy writer.

A large number of ISIS prisoners escaped during the Turkish army operation in northern Syria, including a group deliberately smuggled by Turkish-backed forces.

Baghdadi's death is a victory for Trump and his security team, who spent many years pursuing the man who is the world's number one wanted man.