Earlier this week, President Donald Trump announced the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi following a raid on his compound in Syria.

Despite the recent directive from Trump that US troops stand aside in Syria, which led to a Turkish offensive against the Syrian Kurds, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed to have worked closely with CIA to find and take down the infamous ISIS leader.

The US military has declassified video footage of the operation. The Guardian unpacks the short video, which is accompanied by a description of events by the head of US Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie.

McKenzie, said the bombing took place after all the attackers and survivors had been evacuated, and was carried out so that the compound near the Turkish border did not become a shrine.

McKenzie was unable to confirm Trump’s claim that the Isis leader was “crying, whimpering” in the moments before his death.

He does describe Baghdadi’s disturbing actions just before he blew himself up:

He might not have been “whimpering”, but taking two children, both under the age of 12, into the tunnel with him is an appalling act of cowardice.

McKenzie says that following a DNA test to confirm his identity, Baghdadi’s remains were buried at sea.

McKenzie said the US was under no illusions it had destroyed Isis, and warned the group would try to take revenge.

“They will be dangerous. We suspect they will try some form of retribution attack,” he said. “We don’t see a bloodless future because unfortunately this ideology is going to be out there.”

He does think that the campaign against Baghdadi will slow down operations for a while.

“We chose the time based on a variety of factors: weather, certainty, lunar data,” McKenzie said. “While it might have been convenient to use bases there, the US military has the capability to go almost anywhere.”

He acknowledged that the SDF had played a part in the operation by providing intelligence, but that they had not participated in the raid itself.

Four women and one man were killed during the attack on the compound, and two men were taken prisoner.

[source:guardian]