Baghdadi's death "great day" for people who have suffered from cruelty of terrorism: US officials

The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the fugitive emir of ISIS, during a raid on his hideout by the US Special Forces in northwest Syria is a "great day" for America and people all across the world who have suffered far for long from the cruelty of terrorism, according to senior Trump administration officials.

Baghdadi, the leader of the jihadist group and arguably the world's most wanted man, killed himself during a raid by US commandos on Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.

The self-styled "Caliph Ibrahim" had a USD 25 million bounty on his head and had been pursued by the US and its allies since the rise of ISIS five years ago. Baghdadi was born in 1971 in the central Iraqi city of Samarra.

Baghdadi's death marks the end of a years-long hunt to find one of the most wanted terrorists in the world and the man who declared a so-called Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

Reacting to the death of Baghdadi, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said it was a major victory in the enduring mission to defeat the dreaded terror group.

Esper, who was part of a small group of officials who were aware of the top-secret operation and watched the raid live form the Situation Room of the White House, said, "This is a great day for America and a great day for the world."
In a statement, the defense secretary said, "With our partners we defeated the physical caliphate of ISIS earlier this year and now its founder and leader is dead. This is a major victory in the enduring defeat ISIS mission."
She, however, warned, "Baghdadi's death doesn't mean the fight against ISIS is over, nor should it signal a retreat from Syria. ISIS has a worldwide network that will continue to seek to attack us, our allies and our interests. We should continue to pressure ISIS by reestablishing our alliance with Kurdish forces in Syria."