UK PM hails Baghdadi’s death, says battle against IS group 'not yet over'

The death of Baghdadi is an important moment in our fight against terror, says Boris Johnson

WASHINGTON/ LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday hailed the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as "an important moment" but said the fight against his group "is not yet over".

"The death of Baghdadi is an important moment in our fight against terror but the battle against the evil of Da'ish is not yet over," he wrote on Twitter.

"We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Da'ish once and for all."
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Islamic State group's leaders "have twisted Islam to groom thousands of people into joining their evil cause".

"I welcome the action that has been taken. The world will not miss Al-Baghdadi," he tweeted.

The death of Baghdadi is an important moment in our fight against terror but the battle against the evil of Daesh is not yet over.

We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh once and for all.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 27, 2019

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced that fugitive Baghdadi died in a raid by US Special Forces in northwest Syria, in a major blow to the militant group.

Baghdadi killed himself during the raid by igniting a suicide vest, Trump said in a televised address from the White House.

Test results from the aftermath of the raid had positively identified Baghdadi, he said.

Baghdadi dead in US forces raid, confirms Trump

“He was a sick and depraved man and now he’s gone,” Trump said.

Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States, as head of a militant group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, declaring a caliphate.

The group has carried out atrocities against religious minorities and attacks on five continents in the name of a version of an ultra-fanatic Islam that horrified mainstream Muslims. In recent years the group had lost most of its territory.