The American commando raid that bagged Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was launched from the sprawling al-Asad airbase in Anbar province Iraq, according to a source on the ground with direct knowledge of the operation.
Al-Baghdadi’s last moments alive were spent in “panic and dread” as the ISIS leader was “terrified of the American forces bearing down on him," and he died “whimpering and crying and screaming” like a coward, Trump told reporters Sunday.
Since the outbreak of violence in Yemen in 2015, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched more than 250 missiles across the border killing at least 206 civilians and wounding nearly 950. Roughly 20,000 people have been displaced by the attacks.
2019 thus far is the second highest amount of pounds of cargo dropped in support of OIR since the U.S. launched operations to combat ISIS militants rampaging the region in 2014.
The future of the five-year fight against Islamic State militants is unclear, along with the entire strategy underpinning the U.S. troop presence in the U.S. Central Command region.
It’s common for U.S. special operators to don patches of partner forces. But in 2016, American military commanders banned the wear of YPG and YPJ patches after Turkey became outraged following the circulation of photos of American commandos brandishing the patches.