International Reactions to U.S. Killing of ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi

Oct. 28, 2019 (EIRNS)—Reaction to the U.S. military operation to kill ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is congratulatory from U.S. allies. The Russian reaction has been to distance Russia from any connection or support for violation of Syria’s sovereignty, and to express distrust of U.S. intentions with respect to designs on Syria’s oil fields, needed to rebuild that nation.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov: “The Defense Ministry does not have reliable information about the actions of the U.S. army in the Idlib de-escalation zone ... concerning the umpteenth ‘death’ of Baghdadi.” Konashenkov cited “contradictory details” which raise “legitimate questions and doubts about the success of this American operation.”

Later, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov was more positive: “If this information about al-Baghdadi’s death is indeed confirmed, in general we could speak about the U.S. President’s serious contribution to the fight against international terrorism.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “The killing of Daesh’s ringleader marks a turning point in our joint fight against terrorism. [Turkey] will continue to support anti-terror efforts—as it has done in the past. I am confident that a decisive struggle against terrorism, in line with the spirit of alliance, will bring peace to all humanity.”

French President Emmanuel Macron: “The death of al-Baghdadi is a hard blow against Daesh [ISIS], but it is just a stage. The fight will continue with our partners in the international coalition to ensure that the terror organization is definitively defeated. It is our priority.”

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “The death of Al-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.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “This reflects the united resolve of the free countries led by the U.S. to fight the forces of terror, the terror organizations and the terrorist states. This is an important milestone, but it’s part of a longer battle which we must win.”

Mazloum Abdi, who commands the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), allied to American forces, warned of revenge attacks: “Sleeper cells will seek revenge for Baghdadi’s death.”