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Kremlin says IS ringleader’s death could signal Trump’s major role in anti-terror fight

Trump said on October 27 that al-Badgdadi had died in an overnight raid led by US forces in Syria’s Idlib governorate

Destroyed houses near the village of Barisha, Syria, after an operation by the US military which targeted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed

Destroyed houses near the village of Barisha, Syria, after an operation by the US military which targeted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

© AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. If reports are confirmed that leader of the Islamic State terror group (IS, outlawed in Russia) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, this could really signal US President Donald Trump’s serious contribution to the fight against international terrorism, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"If this information about al-Baghdadi’s death is indeed confirmed, in general we could speak about the US president’s serious contribution to the fight against international terrorism," Peskov said, noting that the news about the IS chieftain’s death could not trigger negative response from Russia’s authorities.

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Peskov noted that the Russian military had indeed seen US aircraft and drones in that area.

US President Donald Trump said on October 27 that al-Badgdadi had died in an overnight raid led by US forces in Syria’s Idlib governorate. He noted that many of al-Baghdadi’s associates and militants had been killed as well. There were no casualties among the US military.

Trump also thanked Russia, Iraq, Syria and Turkey for their assistance. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that it had no reliable evidence that al-Baghdadi was dead. Moreover, it said it had not opened airspace over Syria for US aircraft. The international community has called the IS ringleader’s elimination an important but not a crucial step, and stressed the need to continue the war on terror.

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