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President Trump Announces Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is Dead. Aired 1- 1:30p ET
Aired October 27, 2019 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror
organization anywhere in the world.
BECKY ANDERSON, CONNECT THE WORLD HOST: Tonight, the leader of a group that struck fear around the world is dead. Donald Trump announcing to the
world that that head of ISIS had been killed in a raid by American Special Forces. His description of events play out like the plot of an action
film.
You're watching a special edition of Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson live for you tonight from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, where as I speak
revolutionary calls echoing around me calling for the downfall of the government. We're bringing more on that monumental story just ahead this
hour.
But first just a few hours ago, Donald Trump detailed to the world how the operation unfolded in Northwest Syria, the operation being that to kill Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi. Mr. Trump and top national officials watched from The Situation Room at the White House. He said the operation was the top
national security priority of his administration. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
TRUMP: He died after running into a dead end tunnel whimpering and crying and screaming all the way. He had dragged three of his young children with
him. They were led to certain death. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we are now getting some global reaction to al-Baghdadi's death. Turkey's president called it a, quote, "turning point in the fight
against terrorism." Well Russia was among those President Trump thanked for its cooperation. The Russian military questioned the U.S. account of
the operation. A Russian defense official said there were many contradictions about the U.S. claims, even about whether it actually took
place.
U.S. congressional leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, praised the bravery of the military and intelligence teams who completed the
mission, but they said the president did not alert them that the raid was planned, and there's now reaction from the family of one of al-Baghdadi's
western victims, ISIS beheaded journalist James Foley. The Foley Foundation said it hopes the action, quote, "will hinder the resurgence of
terror groups and pray that captured ISIS fighters will be brought to trial and held accountable."
Well a lot to unpick here. We can bring you CNN's unmatched reporting on what is this breaking news this hour. Ryan Browne is at the Pentagon
working his sources to understand more about the details of the operation. Sam Kiley near the site of the raid at the Turkey-Syria border, and with me
my colleague, Ben Wedeman, CNN International Correspondent, who earlier this year spent 50 days in Eastern Syria witnessing the last gasp of the
ISIS caliphate.
I want to start with you, Ryan, this hour at the Pentagon. The U.S. president spoke to reporters for nearly an hour. He described the raid as
like watching a movie. He described Baghdadi's whimpering and crying, screaming all the way. He said - he said a large number of people with
Baghdadi were killed but that no U.S. personnel were injured. What do we know of the details of the operation and how long they had had Baghdadi
under surveillance?
RYAN BROWNE, CNN REPORTER: Well it's actually we know quite a bit more details now than we did previously. President Trump kind of providing and
unprecedented level of detail at a military operation so soon after it take - having been concluded.
Now, we know that this operation was launched. We built (ph) where sources are telling us from Iraq some eight helicopters took off, flew about an
hour and 10 minutes deep into Northwest Syria. This is territory where the U.S. military does not typically operate, so there was real concern about
potential other actors - Russia, the Syrian regime, Turkey even - potentially interfering with the operation, so great lengths were taken to
ensure that that operation was deconflicted, coordinated with those other countries, with those other military forces in the area.
And the - once the forces, they were (ph) immediately fired upon upon arriving at the location at this compound which, as you said, had been
being surveilled for some time. We're told that the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA, had collected the intelligence that led the U.S. to
believe with a high degree of confidence that Baghdadi was, in fact, hiding at this compound which allowed them to develop this military plan.
Now, while they were fired upon once they arrived on scene, they returned fire we're being told, eliminating that threat. U.S. troops got on the
ground. They took several people capture immediately. They killed several others.
And as President Trump said, Baghdadi kind of fled into a tunnel underneath this compound.
[13:05:00]
They were - the U.S. military had been aware of the existence of these tunnels, and he proceeded to detonate a suicide vest rather than be
captured by U.S. forces who had been assigned that mission. So again, a very chaotic - and then, of course, they had to do the verification, you
know, the DNA testing there on the site. They collected some of the remains and within two hours were once again flying back to the point of
origin we're being told.
So again, a very complex, difficult, challenging military operation. We've been given new details about how it went down. Two U.S. service members
we're told were lightly - were injured in the operation, but we've told they've returned to duty since. But again, given how challenging that
operation was with all those competing factors, all those risk factors, all those potential threats, it's amazing that it was as successful as it was
and that the U.S. military was able to accomplish its mission and get out safely and soundly.
ANDERSON: Sam, Idlib Province, of course, hundreds of miles away from the area along the Syrian-Iraqi border where al-Baghdadi was long believed to
be hiding. During his remarks, Donald Trump thanked officials in other nations as Ryan pointed out, including Russia and Turkey. He also thanked
the Syrian Kurdish forces. What do you understand given where you are and given the circumstances as we understand them, just how important would
intelligence and information from these other countries have been in coordinating this operation?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well absolutely critical, Becky. There has for some time been involvement of many Gulf
nations, Jordan, obviously Iraq, and the SDF - the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces - in intelligence gathering in all of the efforts to
fight against the so-called Islamic state.
The Iraqis have claimed some credit for identifying his location and interestingly so have the SDF. They, having worked very, very closely with
the United States, indicated back in March that they believe that al- Baghdadi had fled to Idlib Province, and they are insisting that over the last few months they have been part of the monitoring process that has led
to the success of this operation.
Donald Trump thanked them in the broadest terms and did say that they had been working together. He wouldn't identify exactly what the role of the
SDF had been, but it does show all of these operations, they are very often and amalgam of tiny little tidbits of information that then eventually
bring down a focus on a specific target. Very hard to pinpoint exactly where particular breakthroughs would have come.
In terms of the relationship with Turkey, a very difficult moment, period recently with the withdrawal of American troops out of the so-called safe
zone, a buffer zone along the border. This attack, though, was not in an area where that - where the Kurds have been operating and, therefore, where
the Turks have been focused their attention, but it is an area where there is a Turkish military presence in terms of trying to establish a
demilitarized zone as part of negotiations with the various militant groups and, indeed, the assay (ph) government in that area. So deconflicting with
them would have been very important.
I think one of the also very interesting things here, Becky, is that he said that ISIS was trying to regrow itself perhaps in this area where there
are fellow travelers in terms of the Jihadi doctrine but no serious presence of ISIS.
ANDERSON: Yes, Ben's with me here, and Ben, we have heard frequent reports in the past of al-Baghdadi's demise. As we digest news now from Donald
Trump of his death, Donald Trump referring to al-Baghdadi's as the U.S.'s number one national security issue, just how significant is all of this?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's significant. The head of ISIS is now gone. He's dead. This is a man who led this terror
organization, first gaining ground in Syria and then in the beginning of 2014 really going on a blitzkrieg in Iraq taking Mosul in a day just with
about 400 men capturing a ton of American military equipment, getting really to the gates of Baghdad.
And now we find that this realm he had created, which was the size of Great Britain, ruling over as many as 12 million people, is no more and he is no
more, but beyond that it's still an organization very much in operation.
[13:10:00]
The Inspector General at the Pentagon in August put out a report saying that between Syria and Iraq there are between 14 and 18,000 ISIS fighters
still on the loose, and then they're operating in West Africa, Libya, Egypt, Philippines --
ANDERSON: Has it been clear just how -- how -- how involved he's been in the daily operation for those ISIS elements are still on the ground in that
region and around the world, very briefly?
WEDEMAN: Well, he was a man that clearly had a good organizational skills in running these operations. He was somebody who learned from the lessons
of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who is the head of ISIS in Iraq, of Osama bin Laden, he was very low-profile.
He was very careful in communications and how he ran the operation, didn't appear regularly in interviews or anything. Nobody really knew where he
was. So, he was quite skilled at what he did.
His hands were covered in blood, the man was an absolute horror of a human being, but he did what Bin Laden and Zarqawi didn't do. He essentially,
for a few years, ran a country.
A country with hundreds of millions of dollars of resources, there were drilling and refining oil, they were involved in all sorts of commercials
activities that the others I've mentioned simply were unable to do.
ANDERSON: So however you look at this, this is a result for the U.S. and the Intelligence Services?
WEDEMAN: No question about it. But I think the Intelligence Services are probably well aware that, OK, an important milestone has been reached but
the war is not over.
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman with me here, our Senior International Correspondent. You're watching "Connect World Life" from Beirut as we
connect you through big changes happening in this region.
Now, dancing [ph] in the midst of this protest here in Lebanon is my next guest, Lebanese author and activist, Joumana Haddad, our conversation up
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SINGING)
ANDERSON: "Ode to Joy" in Arabic. Festive scenes right slam bang in the middle of what are chaotic protests. Lebanese demonstrators singing
Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," a tune about peace and what is really about a sectarian a country as you could imagine. Many, quite literally, now
singing from the same page and that is really important here.
It is spontaneous moments like that which have defined Lebanon's unrest. You can hear the drum beats behind me, an overwhelming sound of unity in a
country scarred by division.
Well today an ambitious human chain aimed to connect the country from the north to the south, Lebanon has been paralyzed by protests for 10 days.
Banks and schools are closed, the political elite, they're not giving in to people's anti-corruptions calls.
Their calls are for that very government to stand down, to go.
[13:15:00]
Let's turn to Lebanese author and woman's rights activist, Joumana Haddad, who you just saw there dancing in the midst of those protests. It is
actually remarkable to feel the sort of atmosphere here, which is celebratory, which is -- which is really high in amongst all of that.
Of course, it's incredibly serious situation, the economy on the brink and hundreds of thousands of regular Lebanese, men, women, children, from
whatever sect, saying enough is enough. Go on.
JOUMANA HADDAD, LEBANESE AUTHOR AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Yes. I just wanted to say, thank you Becky. I want to say that this is not just a
festive scene, this is the sound of hope. That is what Lebanese are now celebrating. So, I'm -- I would like to give this moment its right size,
its right -- this momentum.
I do believe that there is a consciousness, there is an awareness, even amongst those who are the least politically aware, what are the steps that
need to be followed or done after the downfall of this government.
ANDERSON: Right. And you say after the downfall of this government.
HADDAD: Yes.
ANDERSON: First of all, you've got to say, is that ever going to happen.
HADDAD: Yes.
ANDERSON: How do you translate revolt to parliamentary changes? You are a former parliamentary candidate yourself, just explain to our viewers, if
you will, what is wrong with the system at present in Lebanon?
HADDAD: This is a system that has been wrong for so many years now, decades I would say. I'm a child of the Civil War and I have -- I have
been raised in an atmosphere of not just war, hate, fear, violence, but most of all, sectarianism. I think this is the main problem in Lebanon.
ANDERSON: Promoted by the system?
HADDAD: Exactly.
ANDERSON: Promoted by the system.
HADDAD: Because this is how those leaders, who we should say are the same or the sons of those who fought the war, who were the war lords in Lebanon,
are now ruling Lebanon. They are using fear to -- to be able to have their rule more empowered.
ANDERSON: Joumana, these are people of influence, who are not going to give up quietly. What's the risk?
HADDAD: Let me tell you, I'm way more optimistic and I'm not someone who can afford the luxury of being optimistic, but I'm way more optimistic
because we can feel the fear, whether in the speech of the -- of the prime minister or in the speech of the president of the republics or in the
speech of the leader of Hezbollah, there's fear, there are worries and so many conspiracy theories are being, you know -- are being thrown at this
movement. But this is a popular movement. You're telling me how can we translate it by staying on the streets. We will not leave the streets till
this government falls.
ANDERSON: So, if I asked you, will it be business as usual on Monday morning --
HADDAD: Oh no.
ANDERSON: -- 11 days into this movement, you say no.
HADDAD: Oh no --
ANDERSON: That you would expect this to continue night-by-night?
HADDAD: Night-by-night, day-by-day, just go a few steps forward to the ring, there's a placed called the ring, and see how young people have taken
down the street -- they're sleeping there and they're not going to move, hundreds of young people. I also have to say that these young people are
the leaders of these revolutions.
ANDERSON: Because I was going to ask you that, it is important, is that there momentum, but there is no organization or leadership to this. It's
spontaneous and that is what is absolutely remarkable. And this isn't just in Beirut, this is around the country.
HADDAD: And that is why it's so strong.
ANDERSON: And it is very strong, but without an obvious leader and manifesto going forward. The risk is that this fails.
HADDAD: We don't believe -- OK, there is -- there is a manifesto. I mean, there are a series of demands that, by now, are known to everyone, after
the downfall of this government, but this movement doesn't need one leader. One leader would make this movement fail.
This is why it's so successful, because each and every person who's going down the streets to speak about the corruption, his own pain, his own
suffering, the suffering of being away from his kids because they traveled. The suffering of the mother, who is not able to provide for her children or
to find a job, these are the real leaders. So, it's better to be leaderless in a way, and to be all of us the leaders of this --
ANDERSON: Joumana, your optimism is infectious. You said that you can't actually afford it, but you are optimistic, you continue to be optimistic.
We wait to see how this progresses, but for those who do want change, real change, in this country, we have to say good luck.
HADDAD: Yes.
ANDERSON: Thank you for joining us.
HADDAD: Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: You're watching "Connect the World" live from Beirut. Now that the leader of ISIS is dead, what comes next for that terror group? We
looked at how the U.S. is preparing for the next step. That's the breaking news this hour. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Welcome back. The U.S. president declaring that the leader of ISIS is dead, and it was a mission the president says was the top national security
priority of his administration. The White House tweeted a photo from The Situation Room taken during the military operation in Northwestern Syria,
but it's believed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died at his own hand, detonating a suicide vest during the raid.
The leader of the terror group is believed to have been in hiding for the last five years. During which there have been a number of rumors that he
was injured in various attacks by U.S. forces or otherwise. In April, a video was published by ISIS's media arm showing a man reporting to be al-
Baghdadi, which would make it the first time he had been seen since 2014.
Well Ben Wedeman now with me here, our Senior International Correspondent. You spent 50 days on the - in the north of Syria watching the demise of the
ISIS caliphate. At the time I remember you reporting and saying if this may be the end of the caliphate but not the end of this group and its
influence. How does al-Baghdadi's death affect the influence of ISIS going forward?
WEDEMAN: ISIS still exists as I said before. It's operating in a variety of other places, but let's not forget ISIS came out of Al-Qaeda, and ISIS
perhaps may transform into something else, but the thing is in this region there is a template for totalitarian or police states, and that is they
crush the middle, the sort of the educated middle-class by terrifying them into silence, by jailing them, by killing them, by driving them over seas.
So what they are left with the populists the choice between the regime or the extremists. And therefore until that changes - and unfortunately the
west supports many of these regimes - this will continue. You will have one terrorists organization perhaps evaporating, falling away, shrinking
like Al-Qaeda isn't quite what is was before, and ISIS the same thing will happen. You will have people talking about ISIS 2.0. Perhaps a different
name, but this phenomenon will exist as long as the terrain is fertile for the existence of these organizations.
ANDERSON: Have a look at this map from the Institute for the Study of War. It shows the tentacles of ISIS spread through Northern Iraq and most of
Syria.
[13:25:00]
The greatest concentration seems to be southwest of Mosul. However, it seems to spread almost the width of the two countries, and you will speak
to the notion, the narrative that is ISIS outside of this region is perhaps the biggest fear that the west and others might have.
WEDEMAN: Well, of course. There's the selves (ph) and Europe that we've seen a variety of times mass murder in Paris and other parts of France and
Germany. They are still there, and they, in many instances, are not involved in sort of directly with ISIS. They are inspired by ISIS, and
that inspiration still exists. It hasn't changed in addition to all the other places where SIIS is operating. So the ideology whether you call it
ISIS or Al-Qaeda still exists and is still prompting people to become involved in these activities.
ANDERSON: We're talking about the news of the hour, of course, which is the announcement a couple of hours ago by the U.S. president that Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, the number one target for U.S. national security, is now dead - killed in a U.S. Special Forces operation in the northwest of Syria.
We've been talking here in Beirut about the protests that are going on. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, questioning the motives of the
protests as accusing them of being foreign funded. They responded by taking to social media with the Arabic hashtag: "I'm funding the
revolution." Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (foreign language)
(END VIDEOCLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes.
WEDEMAN: Well, what you have here is ordinary people were offended by what Hassan Nasrallah said. They said, you know, we're out here. You know,
we're bringing bread and sort of tuna fish and what not, and we're doing this out of our own pockets.
Now, there are other activities here. The big stages, the music trucks, it's not all together clear who's paying for it. Obviously there are
individuals who are interested and perhaps political factions, perhaps foreign powers that have an interest in what's going on here, but there's
no question that what we're seeing is the expression of profound frustration, and I mean profound. Every day I speak to people here who say
we've had enough. We're going to change this.
ANDERSON: That is the - that is the line you hear not just here in Beirut but around the country. The question is how much momentum will there be
going forward for this? I'm Becky Anderson. I'll be back with more news live from Beirut in half an hour's time. Up next, a world sport (ph) after
what is a quick check of the headlines.
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