“I want to thank the nations of Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq,' he said, adding, 'and I also want to thank the Syrian Kurds for certain support that were able to give us.' . Trump said Baghdadi operation was 'bigger' than the 2011 raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. . . ..…

The US put up a $US25 million reward for his capture, the same amount as it had offered for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his successor Ayman al-Zawahri. . US air strikes have killed most of Baghdadi's top lieutenants and thousands of his fighters have also been killed or captured. . ..…

DEBKAfile's counterterrorism sources add that Baghdadi, aged 48 and born Iraq, follows leaders of Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, to be marked out and liquidated by US special operations teams and CIA. ..…