President Trump revealed that the man who was expected to replace Abu Bakr al Baghdadi as the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group was also killed by American troops.
“Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops,” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. “Most likely would have taken the top spot – Now he is also Dead!”
Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot – Now he is also Dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2019
[Related: ‘Charred corpse’: Second ISIS leader killed in US airstrike following Baghdadi raid]
Abu Hassan al Muhajir died in an airstrike in Ain al Baydah on Sunday morning, a village in northern Syria controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, while riding in the back of a tanker truck, a Kurdish official claimed. Little is known about him, including his real name, nationality, and background.
Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Kobane announced Muhajir’s death on Twitter, writing, “The mission was conducted via direct coordination of SDF Intel & US military apart the ongiong [sic] ops to hunt ISIS leaders.”
Trump announced Baghdadi’s death during a press conference on Sunday morning. The president claimed that the terrorist mastermind died “whimpering and crying and screaming” while he was “scared out of his mind.”
