News

Trump Thanks Russia & Turkey Before U.S. Military For Helping To Kill ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi

President Donald Trump on Sunday offered thanks to Russia and other countries before the soldiers who carried out the raid and Congress for helping U.S. Special Forces assassinate ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

“This raid was impeccable and could only have taken place with the acknowledgment and help of certain other nations and people,” said Trump Sunday morning in a news conference. “I want to thank the nations of Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq and I also want to thank the Syrian Kurds for certain support they were able to give us.”

Trump also called Russia “very cooperative” in the operation to kill the Islamic State’s leader.

“We said it would be a mission they’d like, too, because they hate ISIS, too,” the president added of the Russians.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Trump also claimed Kurdish fighters assisted in the effort by providing useful intelligence to American troops. His comment comes just weeks after the White House ordered a withdrawal of U.S. forces from northern Syria, a move that drew bipartisan rebuke because it was viewed as a betrayal of the Kurds, a key ally in the fight against ISIS. Trump was also widely accused of bowing down to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by allowing Turkey to continue its military operation in the region. Many lawmakers and national security experts also blasted the decision to pull American troops out of Syria as a gift to Russia because the country has long sought a stronger foothold in the Middle East.

Many pundits and lawmakers on Sunday quickly slammed Trump for thanking Russia and Turkey first before U.S. troops for killing ISIS’s leader.

However, others like Rep. Tom Rice (R-South Carolina) praised Trump and U.S. forces for killing ISIS’s leader and appeared to take no issue with the president thanking Russia first.

In Sunday’s press conference, Trump said al-Baghdadi died by blowing himself up — along with three children — with a suicide vest after American forces cornered him in a tunnel in northwestern Syria.

SLIDESHOW: TOP DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020

Pablo Mena

Writer for upolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

After Biden Commutes Sentences Of 1,500 People, GOP Critics Call It A Ploy To Deflect From Pardon Of Son Hunter

Last week, President Joe Biden announced that he would pardon 39 people and commute the prison sentences…

1 day ago

GOP Rep. Chip Roy Rants Against His Own Party For Backing Debt-Raising Bill, Trump Calls For A Primary Opponent Against Him

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) condemned his fellow Republican lawmakers during a rant on the House floor after…

2 days ago

VIDEO: Rep Mike Waltz Does 44 Pushups After Army’s 31-13 Loss Against Navy in Annual Football Match

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_kYWlyzuiMk Rep. Mike Waltz did 44 pushups to honor a bet after the Army football…

3 days ago

‘President’ Elon Musk Slammed By Democrats After He Tanks Bipartisan Spending Bill To Avert Shutdown

In a series of X posts on Wednesday, the platform's CEO Elon Musk criticized a bipartisan spending…

3 days ago

Biden Doubts His Legacy As He Hands Over Power To The Man He Called ‘A Threat To Democracy’

"You can't love your country only when you win." President Joe Biden has repeated this phrase to…

4 days ago

Top Democrat On House Ethics Committee, Rep. Susan Wild, Misses Meeting After Report On Matt Gaetz Leaks

Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pennsylvania), the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, missed a committee meeting after…

5 days ago