Search found 3 matches for Baghdadi

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It is possible that both of these reports are accurate and that there was a need to assemble the requisite personnel from multiple locations in order to act on actionable intelligence about the ISIS leader. However, based on Trump's statements about how long it took them to fly to Baghdadi's compound, it is all but impossible that they traveled directly from Erbil or Al Asad.
The helicopters could have flown to Barisha from an intermediate staging point, however. One very possible location would have been the Kobane Landing Zone, which is situated some 100 miles northeast of where Baghdadi's hiding out. The U.S. military has been withdrawing from this base, which the United States first occupied some time in 2015, as a result of the Turkish intervention.
Official pictures show that U.S. personnel were still there helping with the pullout as of Oct. 23, 2019. Even if the U.S. military had otherwise vacated this base, it would have still provided a large, established airstrip that would have been ideal for establishing a Forward Arming and Refueling Point, or FARP, which U.S. special operations forces routinely use during longer-range air assaults.

Topics tagged under baghdadi on Dinar Daily Https%3A%2F%2Fs3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fthe-drive-cms-content-staging%2Fmessage-editor%252F1572203004538-5853364.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&ixlib=js-1.4

US ARMY

US military personnel load cargo onto a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport plane at the Kobane Landing Zone on Oct. 23, 2019. A US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is visible in the background.

However, Trump's comments about a "port" and "ships" might suggest that the raiding force started or completed its mission somewhere else, despite his additional statement that the special operators took the same route to and from the target location. There has been speculation that they may have started and ended the operation against Baghdadi from the U.K. Royal Air Force Base at Akrotiri on the island of Cyprus. A U.S. Navy or contractor-operated ship in the Eastern Mediterranean acting as a sea base is another possibility.

Stephen Corstorphine@S_Corsto

Replying to @StrategicNews1

[ltr]I was thinking same. Trump let the word “port” and also 110min travel time slip

UH-60 can travel 413km in 110 mins (full speed)

370km between Akrotiri and Barisha, Idlib.

Also ties in with Turkish and Russian co-op/permissions (?) over Cyprus and nr. Latakia ¯\(°_o)/¯[/ltr]

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11:54 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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More detail about the exact composition of the raiding force could eventually help answer questions about the most likely ingress and egress routes. On Oct. 27, 2019, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told ABC's Martha Raddatz that approximately a 100 U.S. special operators – reportedly primarily from the U.S. Army's Delta Force and 75th Ranger Regiment – took part in the operation and that Chinook helicopters brought them to and from the target site. The Chinooks were likely MH-47s from the Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, though even JSOC's elite task forces have used standard Army CH-47s, among other conventional enablers, when necessary, in the past. In this case, it is probably safe to say that the 160th SOAR's highly modified MH-47s were exclusively involved considering the hostile airspace the mission took place in, its low-level night penetration demands, and the unique communications and command and control gear needed to coordinate such a complex and high-stakes operation.
Bystanders also found shell casings associated with the M230 30mm automatic cannon near Baghdadi's compound in the aftermath of the attack. Automatic cannon fire allegedly destroyed a small minibus, possibly to prevent Baghdadi and others from escaping the area. There were also reports that gunships otherwise raked the compound and nearby areas with cannon fire during the operation. This was likely in response to the reports of personnel on the ground shooting at the helicopters.

Mzahem Alsaloum@Mzahem_Alsaloum

[ltr]Fresh Footage via local activities showing the location of chase that took place after the rides, between the US Forces and Baghdadi's Cell.

لقطات حديثة تظهر موقع المطاردة التي حصلت.

PS: attention violent content.#Syria #ISIS #Daesh@Liveuamap @QalaatAlMudiq @michaeldweiss[/ltr]

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1:45 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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Riam Dalati

@Dalatrm

[ltr]ADVISORY UNVERIFIED
Footage purportedly filmed in #Barisha, #Idlib this morning claims to show aftermath of #Baghdadi raid.[/ltr]

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1:47 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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MrRevinsky@Kyruer

· Oct 27, 2019

Replying to @Kyruer

[ltr]#Syria #Idlib #US officials confirm #Isis leader al-Baghdadi has been killed last night in Berisha (~70 between Rangers and Delta Forces involved).https://twitter.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1188413704804675585?s=19 …[/ltr]

Jennifer Griffin

[size=13]@JenGriffinFNC

ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi dead, killed in US raid in Idlib, according to senior US military source. Baghdadi’s identity has been confirmed. “We long suspected Baghdadi was hiding in Idlib,” US source said.
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MrRevinsky@Kyruer

[ltr]#Syria #Idlib
More pics from Berisha: here you can see one of the vehicles destroyed during #US raid against #Isis leader and some of the ammo used.[/ltr]

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8:06 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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The 160th uses this weapon on their MH-60L/M Black Hawk special operations helicopters in the Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) configuration. Regular Army AH-64 Apache gunships, which have also been supporting special operations activities in Syria from forward locations, such as the KLZ, as seen in the picture of that base earlier in this story, also use this weapon. Both the MH-47s and the MH-60s have inflight refueling capabilities, which could have further helped extend their range during the trip to Baghdadi's compound and then to where ever they went following the mission, as well.

UNITED COMPOSITES

One of the 160th SOAR's MH-60Ms in the latest Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) configuration using Multi-Station Lightweight Armament Support Structure (MLASS) stub wings. An M230 30mm cannon pod is visible on the inboard pylon on the left side of the helicopter.

The truth is, we really don't know the composition of the eight helicopter force at this time beyond the inclusion of MH-47s Chinooks. Many will wonder if some form of stealthy Black Hawk was used, similar to those used in the Bin Laden raid. It is possible that the initial raiding force used such a platform, a newer version of which has been rumored to be operating around Syria for years, but we just don't know at this time. The possibility that heavy weaponry was fired at the compound from the air during the operation would make this possibility less likely.
Also, alerting the local players as to the operation's timing may have reduced enough risk to allow the more conventional helicopters to be used. Of course, it's not like the 160th SOAR's MH-60s and MH-47s aren't designed to operate in contested airspace as it is.
So many other questions remain, such as what airpower was assigned to give this raiding force cover from above if it would have been needed. It is very rare that manned U.S. or coalition aircraft fly into Western Syria. For years, it has been all but off-limits airspace and standoff munitions were used to hit larger targets. American drones have and still do operate in the area, but considering how high-value this target was, placing a non-stealthy drone overhead for weeks may have been too risky. During the lead-up to Operation Neptune Spear that took down Bin Laden, stealthy RQ-170 Sentinels worked as the eyes in the sky over Bin Laden's compound, even watching him pace daily in his courtyard prior to the operation commencing.
It is very possible Sentinels were used to monitor the compound in the weeks leading up to the operation and to stream live video of the operation, as well. In fact, just like in 2011, this is likely what Trump and his advisors were watching in the Situation Room. It's also worth noting that there are also stealthy MQ-11 Avengers in the region that could be under the CIA's direction. Either asset would have been more ideal than an MQ-9 Reaper drone hanging out over the compound for days on end and during the raid. The MQ-11 could also provide close air support.

TYSON V. RININGER / WWW.TVRPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

A General Atomics Avenger.

With all this in mind, another question emerges: were F-35s used for overhead support or were far more traceable assets held off at a greater distance, ready to push into the area if need be? The latter option would have required a far more elaborate package, including Wild Weasel aircraft ready to suppress or destroy any enemy air defense systems that may target the fighter aircraft above. Regardless, a huge number of aerial assets would have been involved in this operation—from airborne command and control aircraft, to tankers, to communications relay aircraft, to electronic intelligence monitoring platforms, to combat search and rescue forces. Every contingency would have been planned for and capabilities arrayed to respond as needed.
The lightning-fast disclosure of this raid is also puzzling. There was no stealth Black Hawk tail left behind to answer for as was the case in the Bin Laden operation. Considering the level of exploitable intelligence they pulled out of that compound, even a few days would have given the intel folks a leg up on targeting al-Baghdadi's accomplices and operatives – as has reportedly already happened to Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir.
The compound was leveled after the operation, as well, which may have drawn some local attention, but in that region, kinetic actions happen daily against all types of targets. Electronic communications between top ISIS operatives were limited if not nonexistent, news of the raid would have spread slower than otherwise and it would have probably been laced with confusion.

Josie Ensor

@Josiensor

· Oct 27, 2019

Replying to @Josiensor

[ltr]This is interesting point from @rcallimachi. It was feared Baghdadi would move after being spooked as his trusted courier and his wife went quiet, but he didn't. Why? Had he become complacent? Or did he not like his chances moving around HTS-held Idlib 6/ https://twitter.com/rcallimachi/status/1188516938361856001 …[/ltr]

Rukmini Callimachi

[size=13]@rcallimachi
Replying to @rcallimachi
4. Had he been tipped off that something was afoot? Did he find it odd that his trusted courier and one of his wives had gone silent? It’s unclear. But we know that geopolitically everything changed this month, when a presidential phone call led to Turkey’s invasion of Syria
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Josie Ensor

@Josiensor

[ltr]Astonishing aerial photo of the aftermath of the US raid on Baghdadi's compound in Barisha, Idlib, from @AFP[/ltr]

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2:53 PM - Oct 27, 2019
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Regardless, one of history's most depraved maniacs has been scraped from the earth once and for all. More details are sure to emerge about the operation in the hours and days to come. We will keep you up to date as they do.
UPDATE: 6:30pm EST—
National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Oct. 27, 2019, that the official nickname for the operation was a tribute to Kayla Mueller, an American air worker that ISIS took hostage and murdered in 2015. He did not say what the nickname was, however. For comparison, the raid that led to the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was nicknamed Operation Neptune Spear.
UPDATE: 10/28/2019—
The New York Times and Bloomberg have both now reported that President Donald Trump's decision to [url=http://the syrian and iraqi kurds%2c one official said%2c provided more intelligence for the raid than any single country./]effectively acquiesce[/url] to Turkey's intervention into northern Syria targeting the predominantly Kurdish SDF and a subsequent order for a near-total withdrawal of American forces from the country had threatened to upend the search for Baghdadi and plans to raid his compound in Barisha. U.S. policy has reversed to some degree with a decision that came last week that has seen American troops now reinforce a position near the city of Deir Ez Zor.
"The Syrian and Iraqi Kurds, one official said, provided more intelligence for the raid than any single country," The Times reported. The SDF continued to provide information on Baghdadi and his whereabouts even after the pullout began, which the group had publicly described as a betrayal by the United States.
There is also an unconfirmed report that Baghdadi's remains have been buried at sea, as was the case with Osama Bin Laden's body, a tactic used to prevent them, or even just a known final resting place, from becoming a shrine of sorts for future terrorists. This also brings up questions again about the involvement of ships offshore during the operation.

Jennifer Griffin

@JenGriffinFNC

[ltr]Source tells me Abu Bakr al Baghdadi remains have already been buried at sea.[/ltr]

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11:01 AM - Oct 28, 2019
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UPDATE: 1:20 PM EST—
General Mazlum Abdi, who also goes by Mazlum Kobane, the head of the SDF, has claimed that the organization had a source who had infiltrated Baghdadi's compound, providing unprecedented information about the site and its layout ahead of the operation, as well as other vital details. That individual was reportedly on the ground during the operation. There are also reports that SDF personnel were otherwise present during the raid, but it unclear if this refers to this particular informant.

Richard Engel

@RichardEngel

[ltr]Gen. Mazlum Kobane tells @NBCNews that Kurdish intelligence had a deep source in Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's inner circle who provided information essential to the US raid that killed the ISIS leader. Mazlum said the informant was at Baghdadi's compound as it was assaulted.[/ltr]

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1:06 PM - Oct 28, 2019
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Jennifer Griffin

@JenGriffinFNC

· Oct 28, 2019

Replying to @JenGriffinFNC

[ltr].@BenjaminHallFNC in frank interview with Kurdish general Mazloum: They acted, because Baghdadi's right hand man was planning on moving him to a new location.
Had Baghdadi moved, the US would have struck quickly, acc to Mazloum.[/ltr]

Jennifer Griffin

@JenGriffinFNC

[ltr]Kurdish Gen Mazloum tells .@BenjaminHallFNC: The SDF provided the location, the details about the Baghdadi compound, the tunnels, and how many people were with him. The SDF knew this because of a source inside ISIS.
An SDF member was on the raid helping US.[/ltr]

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11:36 AM - Oct 28, 2019
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At a press briefing on Oct. 28, 2019, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army General Mark Milley, standing beside Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, said that a wide variety of munitions, including AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) cruise missiles, unspecified precision-guided bombs, and AGM-114 Hellfire guided missiles, had been responsible for leveling Baghdadi's compound.
He did not say what aircraft were involved, but this makes confirms that, as expected, some number of fixed-wing aircraft were providing top cover for the operation, in addition to the still unknown helicopter gunships. Milley said that additional information may be coming soon in subsequent briefings. The General also said that the military working dog injured in the raid was set to make a full recovery.

Jack Detsch@JackDetsch_ALM

· 23h

Replying to @JackDetsch_ALM

[ltr]Video of Baghdadi's final moments have not been declassified, Milley says. "Some operational and tactical level briefings" by CENTCOM in the coming days.[/ltr]

Jack Detsch@JackDetsch_ALM

[ltr]US used a variety of munitions, including JASSMs, GBUs, and Hellfires to destroy Baghdadi's compound after the raid, Milley says. "We're not releasing the name of the dog right now. The dog is still in theater." Slightly wounded, but fully recovering.[/ltr]

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1:17 PM - Oct 28, 2019
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Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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Turkish officials also told Reuters that they been aware of the operation ahead of time and coordinated with "relevant parties" on the ground to assist with the mission. Turkey has a significant influence in Idlib via a number of rebel groups opposed to the Syrian regime and Ankara has been instrumental in ensuring that Assad has been unable to retake the entire province. Those same Turkish officials added that Baghdadi had only arrived at the compound some 48 hours before the raid. An unnamed U.S. official disputed claims of cooperation with Turkey during the operation when speaking to Fox News.

Lucas Tomlinson

@LucasFoxNews

[ltr]Americans called Russians on “de-confliction” line to warn of pending U.S. military assault on Baghdadi compound in NW Syria. No de-confliction with Turkey who “did not help in any way,” U.S. defense official says[/ltr]

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7:22 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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The U.S.-supported, predominantly Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that they also provided important intelligence related to Baghdadi ahead of the operation. A spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, which has provided the bulk of the manpower for the SDF, said in March that the group believed that the ISIS leader had made his way into Idlib.

Mazloum Abdî مظلوم عبدي

@MazloumAbdi

[ltr]For five months there has been joint intel cooperation on the ground and accurate monitoring, until we achieved a joint operation to kill Abu Bakir al-Bagdadi.

Thanks to everybody who participate in this great mission.@realDonaldTrump#SDF #USArmy #Rojava #Baghdadi[/ltr]

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8:23 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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Wladimir@vvanwilgenburg

· Oct 27, 2019

[ltr]SDF advisor: "A historic operation successfully carried out as a result of intelligence cooperation between our forces and the USA" https://twitter.com/PolatCanRojava/status/1188362155864797184 …[/ltr]

بولات جان Polat Can[size=13]@PolatCanRojava

Çalakiyek dîrokî ya serkeftî wek encama hevkariya îstixbaratî di navbera hêzên me û Amerîka de. https://twitter.com/MazloumAbdi/status/1188361357114171392 …
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Wladimir@vvanwilgenburg

[ltr]Should be noted that YPG spokesperson @NuriMahmud1 already told @K24English in March 2019 that the SDF information that Baghdadi escaped (Deir ezZor) to Idlib. This also confirms the important role SDF played in locating Baghdadi https://www.kurdistan24.net/ar/news/7c7c9f12-76dd-466c-8efc-5a33d01c41fa …[/ltr]

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7:47 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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In July 2019, a United Nations report had also said that there was evidence that ISIS fighters, including senior leaders, had fled into the relative safety of the province. This was despite the presence of a litany of groups violently opposed to the terrorist organization residing in Idlib, including Turkish-backed rebels and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the latter of which includes a significant number of former Al Qaeda-aligned fighters.

Jeff Seldin

@jseldin

[ltr]Reports #ISIS leader Abu Bakr al #Baghdadi may have been killed in #Idlib #Syria shouldn't come as a complete surprise-at least the location

In July, a @UN report warned senior ISIS leaders "are among those who have made their way to the #Idlib area..."https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1155907686615199746?s=20 …[/ltr]

Jeff Seldin

@jseldin
Replying to @jseldin @UN
.@UN report on #ISIS says senior leaders "are among those who have made their way to the #Idlib area [of #Syria], where they coexist uneasily with the local Al-#Qaida-aligned groups..."

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12:57 AM - Oct 27, 2019
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Topics tagged under baghdadi on Dinar Daily TT1Xoj96_normal

Elizabeth Tsurkov

@Elizrael

· Oct 26, 2019

[ltr]This is shocking, if true. Idlib is not a hospitable place for ISIS members, let alone its leader. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls the area, routinely arrests and executes ISIS members. https://twitter.com/ShaolinTom/status/1188286412715646976 …[/ltr]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/30690/everything-we-know-and-dont-know-about-the-raid-that-killed-isis-founder-al-baghdadi?fbclid=IwAR1qdsmU0V8C7Zf6vySGwJWlLoBGlnILElwHVjZDvfPkvP6sYZGrtdI0xdg

TNT's Ecubucs says THIS IS HAPPENING NOW and dinar groups are the last

TNT:

SassyD: 4 hours ago..... Iraqi Day @iraqi_day 4h4 hours ago #Iraq forces liberated Al-Zanjali & now are getting ready to bury #ISIS caliphate in #Mosul Old city. #Baghdadi gave his speech here in 2014 -- scroll down -- https://twitter.com/iraqi_day/

Yada: While the reports are coming in, the trophies are being set on the tables to be passed out,,,

SassyD: Yada.... Let's pray they are not just participation trophies !!! ... We want REAL winners !!!

Yada: LOL Sassy,,we have the trophies, just can display what we won yet,,,,,,,,misinformation? its of no consequence because the Release has already been done, just a mattter of when we go to the bank

Ecubucs: Completely Agree yada!!! Mozul is and has been OVER! People are being called in if for nothing other than exchanging for SKR's! This is quietly happening and our groups are the last... But This Is Occurring NOW!