On Sunday, October 27, 2019, US President Donald Trump announced that the “World’s number one terrorist leader” is dead. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ‘blew himself up’ when cornered by US forces during the two-hour nighttime raid on his compound in Northern Syria.

The Clandestine Operation started around 5 p.m. on Saturday evening, as eight helicopters carrying teams of elite US troops (including Delta Force) flew one hour and ten minutes over what Trump considered, “very, very dangerous territory.” While in transit, the US helicopters were met with gunfire, but they stopped the threat. After arriving at the compound, US troops avoided a booby trap by breaching the wall, starting an increasingly dangerous situation. According to CNN, “at least two ISIS fighters were captured and 11 children were taken into custody, while Baghdadi took refuge at the end of a tunnel with 2 children.” Eventually, Baghdadi ignited his suicide vest and killed himself, including the children.

Trump’s statement of Baghdadi’s death is considered the ‘most significant announcement’ of the death of a terrorist leader since President Obama’s declaration of Osama Bin Laden’s death. Baghdadi’s death was also the end of a long-term hunt, as he was considered one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. The raid was titled after Kayla Mueller,
a young woman taken hostage by ISIS in 2013. She was allegedly forced into marriage by
Baghdadi, where she suffered from repeated rape and torture. Her death was confirmed by ISIS on February 10, 2015, after her parents received an email, which included 3 photos of Mueller’s body.
While most citizens were relieved hearing about Baghdadi’s death, numerous conspiracy theories have already spawned, the majority of them claiming that he could still be alive, as possible evidence of his death not having been released or known. According to Independent, people have noticed a particular photograph of Trump that appeared to be in stark contrast to a 2011 photograph of Obama, which has led people to believe that Trump staged the photograph to make the deception of the raid true. Unless more evidence or news about this raid proves otherwise, it may be easier to believe that Baghdadi is no longer in this world

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/politics/pentagon-baghdadi-raid-video/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/27/politics/bagdhadi-inside-the-raid-timeline/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/774129683/we-didn-t-see-a-body-baghdadi-s-death-draws-doubts-in-lands-where-isis-ruled
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-al-baghdadi-dead-raid-syria-isis-photo-barack-obama-osama-bin-laden-a9174196.html