President Trump “changed the rules of engagement” the government uses to fight the Islamic State terror network, and in doing so, brought down its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said at the White House on Sunday, following al-Baghdadi’s death at the hands of U.S. special forces.
Al-Baghdadi, who took over as the head of ISIS after his predecessor Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was killed in 2010, was said to have detonated a suicide vest as U.S. special forces closed in. Troops were sent to attack a compound in northern Syria where they found al-Baghdadi, according to a U.S. defense official. No U.S. Special Operations forces were harmed or killed during the mission, and Trump said the operation had been in the works for several weeks.
“When it comes to terrorism, the president changed the rules of engagement. You think the caliphate destroyed itself?” Graham said from the White House podium.
He also said Trump has fought terrorism with a “determination” and focus unlike anyone he’s ever encountered.
“[Trump] made a conscious decision when he went to Iraq to change the game when it came to destroying ISIS,” he continued. “He’s had a determination to destroy the caliphate, unlike anybody I’ve ever met. Now, the question is how to keep it down. I think we’ve got a plan now to keep it down.” – READ MORE