Pentagon briefs on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi operation

Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley are briefing reporters at the Pentagon on the operation resulting in the killing by special forces of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 

Video of al-Baghdadi’s final moments exists. “We have video and photos,” Milley told reporters, though those images aren’t being released yet. He indicated that once they’re vetted and declassified, some video and images may be made available. 

Asked about al-Baghdadi’s body, Milley did not offer specific details, saying only that it had been dealt with in accordance with standard operating procedures. After Osama bin Laden was killed, his body was buried at sea. 

The Sunday raid by U.S. commandos in northwestern Syria ended a yearslong manhunt for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the most wanted terrorist in the world.