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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on President Trump’s confirmation that ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was confirmed dead in a United States-led special operations raid in Northwest Syria. 

“This morning, President Trump announced that the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been confirmed dead in a US-led special operations raid in Northwest Syria. His death marks a significant milestone in our ongoing campaign to destroy ISIS and their threat to America. I applaud the brave men and women of the United States military and intelligence community who collaborated on this successful operation and thank our foreign partners for their support. 

“As ISIS’ leader for almost a decade, Baghdadi inspired and unleashed his fighters and supporters to create chaos and destruction not just in the Middle East but across the world.

“During my tenure as Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, I received startling threat briefings about ISIS’ plots and operations for years. They have killed thousands of innocent people and the elimination of their leader is a vital delivery of justice in this ongoing campaign.

“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to decimating this terror group. Under the President’s leadership, ISIS has lost its so-called Caliphate in Iraq and Syria, is on the run and no longer has its brutal leader. I also commend the President for keeping a residual force in Syria to help ensure ISIS is not the threat it once was.”

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