Middle East

‘Fight not over’: World leaders react to announcement of Baghdadi’s death

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Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi left behind a horrific trail of beheadings, mass executions, rapes, abductions and ethnic cleansing in his five years as the self-proclaimed "caliph" of Iraq and Syria.

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Here is how world leaders have reacted to news of his death.

Died 'like a dog', Trump announces

President Donald Trump confirmed Baghdadi's death in a nighttime US raid in northwestern Syria, declaring in televised address that he died "like a dog".

"He ignited his vest, killing himself… He died after running into a dead end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way."

'Turning point', says Erdogan

"The killing of Daesh's ringleader marks a turning point in our joint fight against terrorism," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

He said Turkey would "continue to support anti-terror efforts — as it has done in the past".

"I am confident that a decisive struggle against terrorism, in line with the spirit of alliance, will bring peace to all of humanity."

Baghdadi's 'umpteenth death' has 'no operational significance', Russia says

"The defence ministry does not have reliable information about the actions of the US army in the Idlib 'de-escalation' zone… concerning the umpteenth 'death'" of Baghdadi, Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

He said there were "contradictory details" which raised "legitimate questions and doubts about the success of this American operation".

"Since the final defeat of the Islamic State by the Syrian government with the support of Russian air power in 2018, the umpteenth 'death' of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has no operational significance for the situation in Syria nor for the actions of the remaining terrorists in Idlib."

>> Profile: Baghdadis terrifying rise from football-obsessed student to self-styled caliph

'Fight will go on', says Macron

"The death of al-Baghdadi is a hard blow against Daesh (IS) but it is just a stage," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter.

"The fight will continue with our partners in the inRead More – Source

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