News

New York Officials React To Death Of ISIS Founder

By Gabe Altieri

Published October 28, 2019 at 9:22 AM EDT

VESTAL, NY (WSKG) - Elected officials in New York are reacting to the death of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

FILE - This file image made from video posted on a militant website April 29, 2019, purports to show the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, being interviewed by his group's Al-Furqan media outlet. The IS erupted from the chaos of Syria and Iraq's conflicts and swiftly did what no Islamic militant group had done before, conquering a giant stretch of territory and declaring itself a "caliphate." U.S. officials said late Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 that al-Baghdadi was the target of an American raid in Syria and may have died in an explosion. (Al-Furqan media via AP, File) — FILE - This file image made from video posted on a militant website April 29, 2019, purports to show the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, being interviewed by his group's Al-Furqan media outlet. The IS erupted from the chaos of Syria and Iraq's conflicts and swiftly did what no Islamic militant group had done before, conquering a giant stretch of territory and declaring itself a

President Donald Trump yesterday said al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest killing himself and three of his young children, as U-S forces closed in on his location.

"The death of al-Baghdadi is a great victory for the safety of our country and the safety of our allies and partners abroad," said New York Senator Chuck Schumer. The Democrat, who's also the Senate Minority leader, sent out a tweet Sunday. "Despite this great victory, we must not confuse the death of this evil man with the total defeat of ISIS."

The last line refers to Trump's past assertion that ISIS is defeated.

In the House, fellow Democrats Anthony Brindisi (NY-22) and Antonio Delgado (NY-19) gave Trump credit for the operation, while both commended the troops who conducted the operation.

Republican Congressman Tom Reed also praised U.S. troops for taking down one of the world's most wanted terrorists, but criticized the Washington Post for an obituary headline that referred to al-Baghdadi as an "austere religious leader". "The headline from Washington Post is a gross misrepresentation of who this man really was," Reed tweeted.

Kristine Corratti Kelly, a Washington Post spokeswoman, has since tweeted that the obituary headline should not have read that way and has been changed.