Islamic State leader targeted by U.S. forces; Trump plans 'major' statementhttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-statement/islamic-state-leader-targeted-by-u-s-forces-trump-plans-major-statement-idUSKBN1X602NQuote
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military conducted an operation against elusive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Saturday, a U.S. official said, as U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to make a “major statement” at the White House on Sunday morning.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was unable to say whether the operation against Baghdadi was successful.
Newsweek said it had been told by a U.S. Army official briefed on the raid that Baghdadi was dead. It said the operation took place in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, and was carried out by special operations forces after receiving actionable intelligence.
The official, speaking to Reuters, did not disclose details of the operation and other U.S. officials contacted by Reuters declined to comment. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley announced late on Saturday that Trump would make a “major statement” at 9 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) on Sunday.
I seem to recall Trump saying: "something really big is gonna happen", back when he pulled the troops out of Syria. This "pulling out" probably caused Islamic State leaders to come into the open as well... which allowed the US to make a special forces hit on the leader(s).
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For days, U.S. officials had feared that Islamic State would seek to capitalize on the upheaval in Syria. But they also saw a potential opportunity, in which Islamic State leaders might break from more secretive routines to communicate with operatives, potentially creating a chance for the United States and its allies to detect them.
Looks like yet another win for Trump.