The general who oversaw the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi expects the terrorist group to attempt a retribution attack.
The end of Baghdadi does not mean the end of ISIS, Marine Corps Gen. and Commander of United States Central Command Frank McKenzie told reporters during a Wednesday Pentagon briefing.
“ISIS is first and last an ideology, so we’re under no illusions that it’s going to go away just because we killed Baghdadi. It will remain,” he said.
McKenzie acknowledged that the group’s leadership may be disjointed and that it could take some time for it to recuperate, but that doesn’t mean it is not a threat.
“They will be dangerous. We suspect they will try some form of retribution attack, and we are postured and prepared for that,” he said. “But we should recognize that, again, since it’s an ideology, you’re never going to be able to completely stamp it out.”
CENTCOM defines long-term success against ISIS and groups like it as being able to partner with local forces around the world to mitigate it from posing a significant threat across borders, according to McKenzie. The general also offered new details on the raid, which he oversaw from his headquarters in Florida on Saturday, including a video showing U.S. operators moving on the compound.
Six people were killed at the compound itself, including four women, Baghdadi, and another man. U.S. forces took out these individuals when they failed to surrender after being given commands in Arabic. Two airstrikes also killed some fighters not believed to be connected to Baghdadi as the raid began. U.S. forces believe a total of 10 to 15 people were killed in the raid, though they do not have exact casualty numbers yet.
11 children were evacuated from the compound, which was located in northwest Syria. McKenzie said the team expected to find children at the target location and prepared accordingly. Two men who surrendered at the scene were detained and flew back with the Delta Force team that conducted the raid.
Two children were killed during the raid when Baghdadi took them into a tunnel and detonated his suicide vest after he was cornered by U.S. forces. Initial reports claimed three children were killed.
The Delta team secured a trove of electronics at the scene, though they believe ISIS may have employed a courier system, as opposed to email or other electronic means. McKenzie did not offer details on what was received but said U.S. forces are exploiting the trove for useful information.
The raid ended with an airstrike on the compound, demolishing the entire building and everything inside. McKenzie showed reporters before and after pictures of the compound itself, which was leveled so as to prevent ISIS followers from using it as a shrine to their deceased leader.
“It looks pretty much like a parking lot with large potholes right now,” he said.
