ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI

A jury has convicted a British national for his role in an Islamic State group hostage-taking scheme that took roughly two dozen Westerners captive a decade ago.

Jurors at the terrorism trial of British national El Shafee Elsheikh are hearing emotional testimony as the trial stretches into its second week in a Virginia courtroom.

A hostage who survived more than a year as a captive of the Islamic State is testifying about the beatings and torture inflicted on him by his captors.

The Pentagon has said that fewer than five children died in the attack on Qurayshi’s home, which was known to be filled with children.

The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who took over as head of the militant group in 2019.

The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who took over as head of the militant group in 2019.

The leader of the Islamic State group killed in a U.S. raid overnight in northwest Syria was largely a mystery, with almost no known photos, never appearing in public or in the group’s videos.

United State Syria Military Raid People inspect a destroyed house following an operation by the U.S. military in the Syrian village of Atmeh, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. U.S. special operations forces conducted a large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria overnight Thursday, in what the Pentagon said was a "successful mission." (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed) (Ghaith Alsayed)ATMEH, Syria — (AP) — The leader of the violent Islamic State group was killed during an overnight raid in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, President Joe Biden said Thursday. First responders reported that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida’s second in command, former bin Laden aide Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, in Syria in 2017.

United State Syria Military Raid People inspect a destroyed house following an operation by the U.S. military in the Syrian village of Atmeh, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. U.S. special operations forces conducted a large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria overnight Thursday, in what the Pentagon said was a "successful mission." (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed) (Ghaith Alsayed)ATMEH, Syria — (AP) — An elite U.S. military force killed the leader of the Islamic State group, during an overnight raid in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, President Joe Biden said Thursday. First responders reported that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women. The military operation got attention on social media, with tweets from the region describing helicopters firing around the building near Atmeh.

NPR has sued the Defense Department to get it to release files regarding possible civilian casualties during the 2019 raid in Syria that resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

BAGHDAD — (AP) — Iraq said on Monday it has detained a top leader of the Islamic State group and a longtime al-Qaida operative in a cross-border operation. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi tweeted the news, identifying the man as Sami Jassem, who oversees the Islamic State group’s financial operations and served as the deputy leader of IS under the late Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Iraqi intelligence officials told The Associated Press that Jassem was detained in an identified foreign country and transported to Iraq few days ago. Jassem worked with al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, before he was killed by the Americans in Iraq in 2016. He assumed various security positions in Iraq, and moved to Syria in 2015, after the Islamic State group, an al-Qaida offshoot, declared its caliphate in 2014 and became the deputy of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the extremist group's leader.

Iraq said on Monday it has detained a top leader of the Islamic State group and a longtime al-Qaida operative in a cross-border operation. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi tweeted the news, identifying the man as Sami Jasim, who oversees the Islamic State group’s financial operations and served as the deputy leader of IS under the late Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Al-Kadhimi described it as “one of the most difficult" cross border intelligence operations ever conducted by Iraqi forces.

The debate over the remains of the ruthless Maoist leader is forcing the country to again confront the most brutal period in its past.

A British national has admitted in federal court that he played a leadership role in an Islamic State scheme to torture, hold for ransom and eventually behead American hostages.

One of two British nationals charged with joining with the Islamic State group and conspiring to torture and behead American and European hostages in Syria is scheduled to plead guilty to criminal charges.

French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, which suffered widespread destruction during the war to defeat the Islamic State group in 2017.

"Osama bin Laden had one hit, and it was a bad one, in New York City, the World Trade Center," Trump said.

ISTANBUL — (AP) — A close aide of killed Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been caught in Istanbul, police said Sunday. News reports of the joint operation with Turkey’s intelligence agency said the suspect had been involved in helping hide al-Baghdadi in Syria’s Idlib province after the fall of the group in 2019. Al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid on his Syrian hideout by U.S. special forces in October 2019. Turkish media published a photograph of a balding, bearded man in a light coat following the arrest and an earlier image, purportedly of the same person, showing a long-haired, heavily bearded man in military fatigues wielding a curved sword. The Demiroren news agency said Basim was suspected of organizing training for IS while in Syria and Iraq, as well as serving on its decision-making council.

Following a Mass on Sunday in the Iraqi city of Irbil, Francis met with Abdullah Kurdi and spent a long time with him, the Vatican said. Through an interpreter, the pope listened to Kurdi’s story and expressed sympathy for the loss of his family. Francis issued the appeal during a joyful visit to the Christian community of Qaraqosh, on the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq. Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako said Francis’ visit to Iraq was “miraculous” and had already borne fruits. AdChristian and Muslim leaders in Mosul have welcomed Pope Francis' visit to the Iraqi city devastated by war and are calling on Christians who fled the Islamic State group's onslaught to return.

WASHINGTON The nation's top military officer said Tuesday that Iran's recent military satellite launch, the first for the rogue regime, is a concerning feat. "They launched a satellite vehicle and I think we publicly stated that it was tumbling, so the satellite itself, not overly concerned about it, but the missile technology, the second and third-order missile technology and the lessons learned from that is a concern," he added. Iran said last month that it successfully launched the nation's first military satellite, another move in the heightened tit-for-tat fight between Washington and Tehran over the regime's missile programs. The satellite, dubbed Noor, was sent into orbit using a long-range rocket, according to an April 22 statement by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. U.S. officials have long feared that Iran's pursuit of developing satellite technology is a cover for ballistic missile activity.

President Donald Trump reacts to audience members during a campaign rally at Drake University, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000.

“We’re really looking to giving a very, very positive message,” Trump told reporters Sunday during a Super Bowl watch party. “This has been a very partisan process and this is an opportunity for him to unify the country around opportunities for all Americans," added White House spokeswoman Jessica Ditto. But it's one the White House believes will reach a broader audience and have a more potent impact given the venue, especially among independent voters. Yet Trump made no direct reference to the shutdown in the speech he eventually delivered to a newly divided Congress. In past years, the White House has tried to connect with audiences at home by highlighting the stories of guests invited to the speech.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed Iran for planning an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq and promised to hold Tehran "fully responsible." "Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. "In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!" About 30 Iraqi soldiers in armored vehicles arrived near the embassy hours after the violence, according to an Associated Press report. "As the President said, Iran is orchestrating this attack and they will be held fully responsible.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed an unusual guest to the White House on Monday - Conan, the military service dog who helped hunt down Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. This is Conan, right now probably the worlds most famous dog, said Trump, flanked by his wife Melania, Vice President Mike Pence, Conan and a handler. Were very honored to have had Conan here and to have given Conan a certificate and an award that were going to put up in the White House, Trump told reporters on the steps facing the White House garden. Both children were believed to be under the age of 12 and both were killed, he said. Conan is really a hero, Pence said of the dog who was injured in the operation.

President Trump signed a bipartisan bill into law Monday, making animal cruelty a federal crime. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, or PACT Act, bans abusive behavior including crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling and other bodily injury toward any non-human mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians. The president then made it official just hours after welcoming a heroic animal into the White House. Trump honors military dog at White HouseViolators of the PACT Act now face criminal penalties of a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both. "Our officers investigate thousands of animal cruelty cases each year, but have been unable to truly bring justice for the animals in instances when the cruelty occurs across multiple jurisdictions."

It was a dog day afternoon at the White House on Monday, when President Donald Trump celebrated the heroic pup who took part in last month's military raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Trump praised Conan, a Belgian Malinois, who was injured while chasing al-Baghdadi down a dead-end tunnel in Syria. The ISIS leader detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and three of his children. "The dog is incredible, actually incredible," said Trump, who stood beside Conan in the colonnade of the Rose Garden. "We were going to put a muzzle on the dog, and I thought that was a good idea but then it gets even more violent," Trump joked.

President Donald Trump makes a statement at the White House following reports that U.S. forces attacked Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northern Syria, in Washington, October 27, 2019. President Donald Trump signed a short-term spending bill into law Thursday with little time to spare before the government shut down. It sets up another potential showdown over spending next month. The funding extension gives the House and Senate more time to come to a long-term appropriations deal. Democrats and Republicans hope to find a way to keep the government running into next year as President Donald Trump again insists on billions of dollars to fund his proposed border wall.

(CNN) - A wife and daughter of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi were among a group of ISIS suspects detained by Turkish police in June 2018, after weeks of round-the-clock surveillance, a senior Turkish official has said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan first announced Wednesday that Baghdadi's wife had been captured. The senior Turkish official said the woman was Asma Fawzi Muhammad Al-Qubaysi, Baghdadi's first wife. At that point, she volunteered a lot of information about Baghdadi and the inner workings of ISIS," the senior official said. A senior Turkish official shared an image of Awad's falsified identity card exclusively with CNN.

One of slain Islamic State of Iraq and Iran (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's wives revealed "a lot of information" about the jihadist group's "inner workings" after she was captured last year, a Turkish official told Agence France-Presse. She was said to be the "first wife" of the ISIS leader, who was killed in a U.S. special forces raid in Syria last month. Asma Fawzi Muhammad Al-Qubaysi, a wife of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is seen in an unknown location. At that point, she volunteered a lot of information about Baghdadi and the inner workings of ISIS," the official said. "We caught his wife I say this today for the first time but we didn't make a big fuss about it," Erdogan told a gathering of students in Ankara.

A US defense official told CNN that the US government currently believes the allegations that Turkey has violated end-use monitoring agreements are "credible," prompting the review. "The United States works to ensure US-origin defense equipment is being used in the manner intended and consistent with the agreement or licenses under which the arms were transferred," a second US defense official told CNN. "The problem is that the people doing the fighting are these ill-disciplined Arab militias," a senior State Department official told reporters Wednesday when asked about the Turkish-backed proxies, adding that many of them are "relatively radical." Senior State Department officials have previously refused to say on the record whether they find the allegations that Turkey has violated its agreements with the US to be credible. "Have any U.S.-origin defense articles been used in connection with the Turkish offensive in Syria, including in connection with the use of chemical weapons?

"If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively," Trump wrote on Twitter. "This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth. Later Tuesday, the White House said that Trump offered "assistance" to Mexico in a conversation with the country's president, Manuel Lopez Obrador. "The two leaders also discussed ongoing border cooperation and the strong bilateral ties between the United States and Mexico," the White House added. The White House did not respond to CNBC's question about whether Trump's tweet suggested he was willing to send U.S. troops to Mexico to confront drug cartels.

President Donald Trump was met with loud, sustained boos and some cheers as he entered Madison Square Garden for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in New York. NEW YORK - President Donald Trump was met with loud, sustained boos and some cheers as he entered Madison Square Garden for the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday night in New York. A handful of signs reading "Remove Trump" and "Impeach Trump" dotted the crowd. He was met with loud boos, cheers and 'lock him up' chants when he was displayed on Nationals Park's video screen. Since taking office, he has spent 99 days at his Mar-a-Lago club compared to only 20 days spent at Trump Tower in New York City, according to CNN's count.

About half of Americans now want Congress to impeach President Donald Trump and remove him from office, up slightly from a month ago, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows. In the survey, 49% back Trump's impeachment and removal while 46% oppose it. In the NBC/WSJ poll a month ago, a 49% plurality opposed impeachment and removal while 43% favored it. While support for impeachment rose, Trump's job approval level ticked up by two percentage points to 45%. The poll showed that Baghdadi's death did not seize public attention as much as other top news events of recent years.

Copyright 2019 CNNWASHINGTON (CNN) - Despite the collapse of its territorial caliphate, ISIS remained a growing and evolving threat even as it lost territory in Syria, a top State Department official said Friday. Counterterrorism Coordinator Ambassador Nathan Sales, speaking just days after the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said the terrorist organization spread its influence through affiliates and individual actors. However, the State Department report noted that in 2018, ISIS "proved its ability to adapt, especially through its efforts to inspire or direct followers online." "As the false caliphate collapsed, we saw ISIS' toxic ideology continue to spread around the globe in 2018," Sales told reporters Friday. In the ISIS audio message, published on the terrorist group's media wing al-Furqan, the spokesperson also announced its new leader -- Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.

(CNN) - ISIS confirmed the death of former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and named his replacement in an audio message on Thursday. In the recording, published on the terrorist group's media wing al-Furqan, ISIS announced its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Thursday's message was voiced by ISIS' new spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qarshi. Baghdadi's death marked the end of a years-long hunt to find one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. In April, a video published by the ISIS media wing al-Furqan showed a man purporting to be Baghdadi.

(CNN) - The heroic dog who helped chase down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi goes by the name Conan and he'll be making an appearance at the White House soon, President Donald Trump tweeted. Trump on Thursday declassified the name of the US military dog who was injured in the raid against Baghdadi. Trump also shared that Conan, a Belgian Malinois, will be leaving the Middle East next week and then visiting the White House. On Wednesday, Trump shared an edited photo, created by the Daily Wire, that showed him awarding the Medal of Honor to Conan. Very cute recreation, but the 'live' version of Conan will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week!"

CNN video(CNN) - The Pentagon released newly declassified video and images Wednesday of the daring, two hour raid targeting ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi that shows US forces taking small arms fire from multiple locations as their helicopters approached the compound. McKenzie told reporters that he could not confirm that Baghdadi was "whimpering and crying" in his final moments as President Donald Trump claimed in his televised address on Sunday. He did reveal that special operations forces that carried out the raid were pre-staged in Syria, news that comes after Trump ordered most US troops to be removed from the country. Minutes after the Pentagon briefing, Trump began his remarks at the Medal of Honor ceremony for Army Master Sgt. Matthew Williams by thanking Secretary of Defense Mark Esper for the raid that led to the death of Baghdadi.

REUTERS/Jim Bourg(Reuters) - Two environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over its plan to open up more than 720,000 acres (291,370 hectares) of federal land in California for oil and gas development. BLM spokeswoman Sarah Webster said in an emailed statement that the agency was reviewing the lawsuit. The agency issued a new environmental study and resource management plan earlier this month. The plan is one of many ways in which U.S. President Donald Trump has moved to expand oil and gas production on federal lands. Several counties in the area covered by the BLM plan, including Monterey and Santa Cruz, have passed legislation to ban new oil and gas wells.

Although details about the K-9 aren't public -- the Pentagon has said the dog's name needs to remain classified due to their affiliation with a classified unit -- it's a welcome reminder that military working dogs are an important and ever-present thread throughout America's military history. That's definitely one facet of the job, but it's far from the only task military working dogs perform, and far from the only kind of military working dog to lend their services. The 341 TRS operates the Department of Defense's Military Working Dog Program, which is overseen by the United States Air Force. From time to time, military working dogs are even trained to be able to skydive with paratroopers. In recent years, the sacrifices and heroism of military working dogs have gained more attention, and several memorials have been erected to memorialize them.

WASHINGTON The Pentagon on Wednesday released the first images and videos of last week's U.S. military mission that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "The operation was exquisitely planned and executed," Marine Corps Gen. Ken McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said during a press briefing at the Pentagon. "We are under no illusions that ISIS is going to go away because we killed Baghdadi. Similarly, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Monday at the Pentagon that Baghdadi's death would send a forceful message to terrorists. The dog, whose name and breed are classified, is a four-year veteran of the canine Special Operations Command program and has served 50 combat missions.

(CNN) - President Donald Trump asserted in his televised address from the White House Sunday that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was "whimpering and crying " before ultimately detonating his suicide vest in a tunnel as US commandos closed in. Trump painted the ISIS leader as a coward, describing in great detail how he "spent his last moments in utter fear, in total panic and dread, terrified of the American forces bearing down on him." "I know the President had planned to talk to ... unit members, but I -- I don't know what the source of that was. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has also said publicly he was not sure where Trump got that information from. Esper described the death of the ISIS leader as a "devastating blow" to ISIS.

CNN Video(CNN) - President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that "American troops" have "terminated" ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's "likely" replacement. A US official told CNN that "the President was referring to ISIS spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir." A senior State Department official told reporters Monday that al-Muhajir was killed by US forces in Aleppo province near Jarablus. "He was killed very close to the northeast, very close to the Euphrates River, near Jarablus," the official said. The official described al-Muhajir as both a spokesperson and "kind of a number two" to Baghdadi.

(CNN) - A spy for Kurdish forces in Syria stole Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's underwear in order to obtain a DNA sample of the ISIS leader and help lead the US military to his location, Kurdish officials have claimed. "Through our own sources, we managed to confirm that Al Baghdadi had moved from Al Dashisha area in [Deir Ezzor] to Idlib. "One of our sources was able to reach the house where Al Baghdadi was hiding. Our own source, who had been able to reach Al Baghdadi, brought Al Baghdadi's underwear to conduct a DNA test and make sure (100%) that the person in question was Al Baghdadi himself." Kurdish groups said they considered the US pullback -- which led to a Turkish offensive to clear Kurdish forces from the Syrian border area -- a "betrayal."

The likely successor to the now-dead Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is also dead, President Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. "Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. "He was a sick and depraved man and now he's dead," Mr. Trump told police chiefs during a speech in Chicago. "He's dead, he's dead as a door nail. The Pentagon is expected to release video of the raid that killed al-Baghdadi.

President Donald Trump said that a dog, part of the US operation that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi over the weekend, was injured while chasing Baghdadi down a dead-end tunnel. Trump declassified a photo of the dogWASHINGTON (CNN) - There are good dogs -- and then there are hero dogs who chase down the world's top terrorist to his fatal demise. President Donald Trump said that a dog, part of the US operation that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi over the weekend, was injured while chasing Baghdadi down a dead-end tunnel. The dog is believed to have been sent down the tunnel after it was feared that Baghdadi was wearing a suicide vest. He described the dog as "slightly wounded and fully recovering, but the dog is still in theater, returned to duty with its handler."

Many of those who were released from Camp Bucca -- including Baghdadi and al-Mawla -- joined what was then al Qaeda in Iraq, before it rebranded itself the Islamic State. Cole Bunzel, editor of the blog Jihadica, says that former ISIS members who defected over disagreements about ideology and strategy have been talking up al-Mawla's prospects of becoming the next ISIS leader. Like al-Mawla, he was a veteran of the cause, going back to the days of al Qaeda in Iraq. While its supporters will no doubt be angered by Baghdadi's death, ISIS has long prepared them for this moment. And on that ISIS and al Qaeda do agree -- that their struggle will last generations.

The parents of the American hostage murdered by ISIS are talking to Inside Edition after the operation to kill the leader of the terrorist organization was named for her. Kayla Mueller went to Syria to help refugees in 2013. While there, she was kidnapped during a tour of a Doctors Without Boarders hospital, and she was repeatedly raped and tortured by ISIS members. They were handcuffed, they slept in handcuffs at night, her father, Carl Mueller, said of Kayla's time there. Then, President Trump announced al-Baghdadi had died in a raid of northwestern Syria,a raid that had been code-named for Kayla.

He's right though, this was pretty big. The man White House officials called the "world's number one terrorist leader" was killed during a raid carried out by U.S. forces in northern Syria. That was the big news President Trump shared with the world Sunday morning. But yeah, it's election season once again, with early voting starting as early as Monday in some Central Florida counties. Oh, and speaking of treats -- what's your favorite Halloween candy?

SYRIAAfter serious military setbacks, Islamic State slipped into the shadows, staging suicide bombings and ambushes. Islamic State fighters still hold some ground in Syrias remote central desert in territory otherwise held by the Damascus government. The military says several hundred militants have been killed since it launched a major campaign in February 2018 to defeat fighters linked to Islamic State in Sinai. Al Qaeda and Islamic State are also fighting Shiite Houthis, which they see as heretics. Abdurrahman is considered the ideological leader of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) - a loose grouping of Islamic State sympathisers in Indonesia.

The death of Baghdadi is a severe blow to Islamic State, which has been in disarray and has no declared successor as leader yet. Islamic State has carried out atrocities against religious minorities and attacks on five continents in the name of an ultra-fanatic version of Islam that horrified mainstream Muslims. Al-Baghdadis death is a hard blow against Islamic State, but it is just a stage, he said. Longtime U.S. foe Iran, which accuses the United States and its allies of creating Islamic State, was dismissive. Iraqi analyst Hisham al-Hashemi, an expert on jihadist groups, said Baghdadis death was likely to lead to a split within Islamic State.

A picture taken on November 5, 2012 in Aleppo shows US freelance reporter James Foley, who was kidnapped in war-torn Syria. "I'm hopeful that his demise will be a huge blow to the regrouping of ISIS. On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was dead after a US military raid in northwest Syria. Baghdadi had been at the helm of the organization that would later become ISIS since 2010, two years before James Foley was abducted by the group. Foley also said she hopes the US military can locate American hostages held abroad and bring them back home.

FILE PHOTO: Iraqi youth watch the news of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi death, in Najaf, Iraq October 27, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani/File PhotoMOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will have made a major contribution to the fight against international terrorism if a U.S. assertion that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead is true. Trump on Sunday announced that Baghdadi had killed himself during a daring overnight raid by elite U.S. special operations forces in Syria and thanked Russia, among others, for its support. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say on Monday if the United States had informed Russia about the operation in advance or provide other details. If this information (about Baghdadis death) is confirmed we can talk about a serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism, said Peskov.

FILE PHOTO: Iraqi youth watch the news of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi death, in Najaf, Iraq October 27, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani/File PhotoMOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will have made a major contribution to the fight against international terrorism if a U.S. assertion that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead is true. Trump on Sunday announced that Baghdadi had killed himself during a daring overnight raid by elite U.S. special operations forces in Syria and thanked Russia, among others, for its support. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say on Monday if the United States had informed Russia about the operation in advance or provide other details. If this information (about Baghdadis death) is confirmed we can talk about a serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism, said Peskov.

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trumps suggestion on Sunday that Exxon Mobil or another U.S. oil company operate Syrian oil fields drew rebukes from legal and energy experts. FILE PHOTO: A logo of the Exxon Mobil Corp is seen at the Rio Oil and Gas Expo and Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 24, 2018. Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp, the two largest U.S. oil companies operating in the Middle East, declined to comment on his remarks. Even getting Exxon or another major oil company to develop Syrian oil would be a hard sell given its relatively limited infrastructure and small output, said Ellen R. Wald, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Global Energy Center. Still, the United States should be concerned about the fate of the Syrian oil fields, said Alex Cranberg, chairman of energy firm Aspect Holdings LLC, which has explored production in Iraqi Kurdistan but no longer has active projects in the region.

Rubble and ruins are all that remain where U.S. Special Forces conducted a raid to kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Esper called al-Baghdadi's death a "devastating blow" to an organization that already had lost its hold on a wide swath of territory in Syria and Iraq. Esper hinted at uncertainty ahead in Syria , even though the Islamic State has lost its inspirational leader, with the Syrian government exploiting support from Russia and Iran. "We're keeping the oil," Trump said during a speech to police officers in Chicago. But a reporter asked whether the mission includes preventing Russian and Syrian government forces from entering that area. After expelling Islamic State militants from southeastern Syria in 2018, the Kurds seized control of the more profitable oil fields to the south in Deir el-Zour province.

Esper called al-Baghdadi's death a "devastating blow" to an organization that already had lost its hold on a wide swath of territory in Syria and Iraq. Esper hinted at uncertainty ahead in Syria , even though the Islamic State has lost its inspirational leader, with the Syrian government exploiting support from Russia and Iran. "We're keeping the oil," Trump said during a speech to police officers in Chicago. But a reporter asked whether the mission includes preventing Russian and Syrian government forces from entering that area. After expelling Islamic State militants from southeastern Syria in 2018, the Kurds seized control of the more profitable oil fields to the south in Deir el-Zour province.

Esper called al-Baghdadi's death a "devastating blow" to an organization that already had lost its hold on a wide swath of territory in Syria and Iraq. Esper hinted at uncertainty ahead in Syria , even though the Islamic State has lost its inspirational leader, with the Syrian government exploiting support from Russia and Iran. "We're keeping the oil," Trump said during a speech to police officers in Chicago. But a reporter asked whether the mission includes preventing Russian and Syrian government forces from entering that area. After expelling Islamic State militants from southeastern Syria in 2018, the Kurds seized control of the more profitable oil fields to the south in Deir el-Zour province.

President Trump is in Chicago on Monday, where he spoke to a friendly crowd at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference before he holds a fundraiser at his Chicago hotel. Trump calls sanctuary cities a "dangerous and shameful" violation of rule of lawThe trip comes a day after Mr. Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "He was a sick and depraved man and now he's dead," Mr. Trump said. "He's dead, he's dead as a doornail. "Great weekend, we captured a man who should have been captured long ago," Mr. Trump said.

WASHINGTON The Pentagon emphasized Monday that U.S. troops will secure oil fields in northeast Syria in the wake of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death. "At the height of Baghdadi's reign, these oil fields provided ISIS with the bulk of financial resources used to fund its terror," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Monday at the Pentagon. "The fundamental purpose of securing those oil fields is to deny those oil fields access to ISIS in order to prevent ISIS from resurgence," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley said alongside Esper. On Sunday, President Donald Trump confirmed Baghdadi's death and identified Syria's oil as a U.S. national security priority. Read more: Trump wants to make a deal with Exxon or others to tap Syrian oil: 'We should be able to take some'"[The oil] fueled ISIS, number one.