Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi left behind a horrific trail of beheading, mass executions, rapes, abductions and ethnic cleansing in his five years as the self-proclaimed “caliph” of Iraq and Syria.
Here is how world leaders have reacted to news of his death.
Died ‘like a dog’
President Donald Trump confirmed Baghdadi’s death in a nighttime US raid, 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.”
‘Not yet over’
“The death of Baghdadi is an important moment in our fight against terror but the battle against the evil of Daesh is not yet over,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
“We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh once and for all.”
‘Important milestone’
“This reflects the united resolve of the free countries led by the United States to fight the forces of terror, the terror organisations and the terrorist states,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
“This is an important milestone, but it’s part of a longer battle which we must win.”
‘Continue the fight’
“We will continue the fight relentlessly against Daesh with our partners,” French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter.
“Today, I also have a special thought for all the victims of Baghdadi’s madness and the criminals who followed it.”
‘No operational significance’
“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,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
(AFP)
