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Pentagon: Islamic State will survive leader’s death

The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will not extinguish the Islamic State’s ideology, US Central Command said, even as the Pentagon keeps up pressure to thin out the group's leadership with raids in Syria.
IDLIB, SYRIA - NOVEMBER 28: A drone photo shows an aerial view of operation area where Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in, on October 28, 2019 in northwestern Syria in Idlib, Syria . A U.S. raid that allegedly killed Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwestern Syria lasted for some four hours, according to local sources. The operation, in which helicopters, drones, and ground units were used, took place a few kilometers away from the Tourlaha camp, where displaced civilians have taken shelter

In his last moments, surrounded by elite US Delta Force operatives, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi crawled into a small hole in a tunnel in his Syria compound and blew himself up, the commander of American forces in the Middle East told reporters at the Pentagon today.

But the death of the IS leader will not extinguish the militant group’s ideology, US Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie said, even as the Pentagon tries to keep up pressure to thin out its leadership with targeted cross-border raids into Syria.

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