On Politics A.M.: Leader of Islamic State Is Killed

A daring American commando raid in Syria this weekend led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 28, 2019

Good Monday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

President Trump announced on Sunday that a daring American commando raid in Syria this weekend led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, after a five-year international manhunt. It was a significant victory even as American forces are pulling out of the area.

The president's abrupt decision to pull forces from northern Syria disrupted planning for the raid and forced the Pentagon to press ahead with a risky night operation, military officials said.

American officials were able to swiftly identify the body of Mr. al-Baghdadi, even after he blew himself up. Here's how that was possible.

Before the official announcement Sunday morning, Mr. Trump teased on Twitter on Saturday night at around 9:30 p.m. that "Something very big just happened," hours after American forces had landed in the region. Aides told the president that announcing on Sunday would allow the news to dominate the talk shows.

The death of the ISIS leader was a great coup for American counterterrorism efforts. But it was also a reminder that allies — including the abandoned Kurdish forces — and an American intelligence community under attack by Mr. Trump were the key to that success.

The violent death of Mr. al-Baghdadi is a significant blow to the world's most fearsome terrorist group. But analysts said it was unlikely to freeze attempts by Islamic State franchises to sow mayhem and fear in the name of their extremist ideology.

House impeachment investigators, having rapidly built a case against Mr. Trump in recent weeks, may be approaching the limits of their fact-finding as the White House and high-ranking witnesses are making it harder to obtain testimonies and evidence.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg courted black voters in South Carolina this weekend, following the disclosure of campaign focus groups with African-Americans that suggested his sexuality would be a "barrier" for some. In interviews, black voters diverged on the matter.

In a wide-ranging "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. declared himself the Democratic front-runner, defended his son's foreign business dealings and expressed concern about the future of the country if Mr. Trump were to win another four years in office.

Today's On Politics briefing was compiled by Isabella Grullón Paz in New York.

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