UPDATED 10/28, 4:45 p.m. EST: Trump decided the time is right to share a cute dog pic, along with the tweeted info, "We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi!"
UPDATED 10/27, 9:58 a.m. EST: Donald Trump gave details about al-Baghdadi's death Sunday morning. The president said that the Islamic State leader detonated his suicide vest when he ran into a tunnel's end during a U.S. raid, killing himself and three children. Trump told viewers that he watched the raid live from the situation room.
"He will never again harm another innocent man, woman or child," Trump said in his address to the country. "He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place."
"Al-Baghdadi was vicious and violent and he died in a vicious and violent way. As a coward running and crying," he continued. "This raid was impeccable and could only have taken place with the acknowledgment and help of certain other nations and people. I want to thank the nations of Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq and I also want to thank the Syrian Kurds for certain support they were able to give us."
ABC News reports that Al-Baghdadi was thought to be at least wounded since 2014 before he recorded audio messages denying those rumors. U.S. special forces attempted to kill him during a massive bombing in 2017, but al-Baghdadi released another audio recording confirming his survival. He was last seen alive in a video released in April.
Watch Trump's statement below.
LIVE: President @realDonaldTrump Delivers Remarks https://t.co/htGVV9Xu0V
See original story below.
ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reportedly killed in a US military raid conducted in northwest Syria on Saturday, CNN reports.
President Trump is expected to announce the successful mission on Sunday morning.
