Published 12:45 IST, October 30th 2019
Jared Kushner: Death of Baghdadi ‘big’ but more work lies ahead for US
The White House adviser Jared Kushner said that the death of al-Baghdadi was a big step in the fight against Islamic State but the US still has work to do
The White House adviser Jared Kushner on October 29 said that the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was a big step in the fight against Islamic State but the US still has more work to do. In an interview with international media, Kushner said that killing the leader was a symbolic victory. It was big for America, big for the world, big for the region. However, Kushner added that the United States still has more work to do.
Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law, has been heading the administration's plan to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and also met with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his election rival Benny Gantz. In the interview, Kushner did not endorse the Israeli PM's bid to annex the Jordan Valley. However, he did not even rule it out as he said that the administration likes to keep the options open.
'Top-secret mission'
The interview with an Israeli channel came after President Trump's announcement on Sunday that the ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed by American forces in a 'top-secret mission'. Addressing a press conference, Trump said that US forces carried out an operation in the north-west Syrian region of Idlib to kill ISIS chief Baghdadi. He said that Baghdadi had been under US intelligence surveillance for 'a couple of weeks'. Trump said that the United States lost no soldier in the operation and claimed that many ISIS men and Baghdadi's aides were killed in the operation.
Detailing about the operation, Trump said that al-Baghdadi was in a room with 11 children. He said that the operation began at 5'o clock and lift-off started 'moments after that'. He then added that the world's most dangerous terrorist died "like a coward". He said that Baghdadi died at the end of the tunnel as the US forces attack dogs chased him. According to the US president, Baghdadi immolated himself with 3 children after which his cave was bombed. The White House later announced that the special operation that killed the ISIS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named after Kayla Mueller, a young aid worker who was captured a killed by the terror group along with several Americans.
Updated 14:53 IST, October 30th 2019