Doubts over Donald Trump's dramatic account of Baghdadi raid

[mysteryowl]

Source: The Guardian

Footage of the US special forces raid on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Syrian compound reportedly consisted of overhead surveillance footage and no audio, prompting questions over the extent of the dramatic license taken by Donald Trump in describing the final moments of one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.

US officials who also watched the feed have declined to echo details of Trump's macabre account of the Isis's leader death on Saturday, including that Baghdadi was "whimpering, crying and screaming all the way".
[snip]
The footage piped into the situation room would have consisted of overhead surveillance shots of the dark compound with heat signatures differentiating between US fighters and others, intelligence and military officials told the New York Times.

Those cameras would not have been able to peer into the tunnel where Baghdadi died, nor provide audio proof of his conduct during the last minutes of his life.



Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/28/doubts-over-trump-dramatic-account-baghdadi-raid

---

He is such a liar and hyperbolic. I wonder if this ISIS leader was even killed. We can't trust anything he says.

[tanyev]

1. That account sounded like a 9 year old giving you the plot of a movie they just saw.

[Dave Starsky]

34. The only thing missing was Arnold and a funny one-liner.

"Put this in your bag, Daddy!" BRRRRRRAAAAAPPP!

[oldsoftie]

2. I believe he's dead. But I DONT believe Trumps version of how it happened.

Why would I??

[politicaljunkie41910]

43. I knew from the beginning Trump was lying when he was talking about Baghdadi being a whimpering

coward. My immediate thought was that this guy wears an explosive vest every day, and would rather blow himself and his children up than be taken alive because he believes that his enemies are going to be as harsh on him and likely his children as well, as he has been on them. Therefore, he is willing to take his and his children's own lives than leave that up to his perceived enemies. So no, I always thought that Trump was lying about the crying like a baby bullshit. I never believed it for a second. Say what you will about these Jihadists, but they aren't afraid of meeting death; unlike our punk ass, bone spurs claiming, draft dodging president.

[Hunt 4 Blue November]

3. Doubt While You Can

If the Great Pumpkinhead somehow gets a second term, any criticism of him will be illegal.

[braddy]

4. I doubt Americans are worried about insulting the world's worst, most murdering, rapist, terrorist

by saying that he cried like a baby before he blew up 3 kids and himself to avoid being taken alive.

[BlueStater]

22. Most Americans are worried about their president being an unprofessional, lying asshole.

Thanks for missing the point.

[braddy]

23. People don't care about this one, he died like a true monster of a coward, killing innocents to the

end. Insulting his terrorist followers and his image is a bonus, not something to fret about.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

24. You must be a gen-u-wine patriot.

[braddy]

25. Killing and degrading the world's worst terrorist, I love it.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

27. That's unfortunate.

Because all he has done with his moronic chest-pounding, reckless bragging and idiotic boasting (like a teenage boy who just got laid for the first time) is unprofessional, undiplomatic, and going to result in creating a bigger martyr out of this thug than he already was. It will become language for which an entire new generation of terrorists, pledging to bring death and destruction to Americans all over the globe, will be recruited with in slogans shouted into cameras everywhere. Remember how well they use the internet to recruit.

Maybe one of them will come back to our shores to murder more American citizens, because this kind of rhetoric is EXACTLY what works for them.

His PERFORMANCE (because that is exactly what it was) was stupid and beneath the measure of the office. The man is a fool and so is anyone who thinks that his act played well.

[braddy]

28. A fool mourns the killing and shaming of the world's bad guy, enjoy your reaction, we also took out

another big time buddy of Baghdadi. I hope the prisoners we took help us get more of them.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

29. Don't forget the 60 or so ISIS prisoners that escaped due to trumpie's incompetence

and failed leadership.

Have a nice day.

[braddy]

30. It will be fun to share your posts to me with my anti-Baghdadi friends, this is fascinating.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

41. And I'll be somber as I share the reckless chest-thumping and childish bragging

from the flawed leadership in the Oval Office regarding a downed enemy with my other highly-decorated military veteran friends. We were sent all over the ME to remove insurgents, capture terrorists and, yes, sometimes take them out of the equation. None of us ever saw this as something to turn into performance art and create a gloating spectacle as soldiers. Taking the life of another man is not something you engage in lightly. It is necessary to eradicate evil and put an end to advancing tyranny. But it is a burden that never leaves your mind or your soul.

I doubt that you'd know anything about that part of it.

Goodbye.

[braddy]

42. Great, you can join our weekly vets coffee, so far they are all gleeful at taking out target #1.

They are who I will be sharing your sense of tragedy and loss with.

[oldsoftie]

46. Certainly not taken lightly by those doing it. But Trump will now act like HE did it himself.

Because remember, he's a really tough guy. Just ask him.
And I'm also certain that no one in the field reporting back to DC ever described the events as happening the way trump did. No way.

[BlueStater]

33. No one is mourning him.

Your childish post belongs more at Free Republic.

[LanternWaste]

35. I'd pretend others are mourning him as well...

...if I had nothing of any real substance to offer.

[treestar]

47. This is about Donnie lying again

Which he obviously did here. Haggis gave you a more nuanced view of the death’s effects which you ignored to make this stupid assertion.

[BlueStater]

32. You love that he made up bullshit that didn't happen.

Okay then.

Get your priorities reevaluated.

[Judi Lynn]

45. He gibbered such childish drool it seems impossible anyone would buy it. Unbelievable. n/t

[treestar]

48. +1

Talk about missing the issue!

[LanternWaste]

36. People actually do care about lies from our leadership...

What specifically compels you to pretend otherwise?

[Devil Child]

31. +1 braddy!

[braddy]

37. Yeah, America insulting Baghdadi's last second of mass child murder has really upset

people on this thread, amazing.

[braddy]

40. Protecting the world's bloodiest, most rapingest terrorist from the insult of being called

cowardly in his death as he murders 3 children with him is no way to attack the president.
Like I said, the American people don't mind this little insult, so the people that are obsessing about it should rethink their fierce and devoted image protecting of Baghdadi.

[treestar]

49. That is not the

Equivalent of Donnie lying about it. There was no way for him to know what he claims. You are trying to obscure the issue.

[braddy]

52. As I said, it is an insult that Americans won't care about,

laughing at the Baghdadi protection ring that has come out in rage at Baghdadi being called cowardly and crying as he blew up those three kids when faced with our soldiers who were there to capture him.

To repeat, the American people are not worried about insulting ISIS, but as the days drag on they are cringing that some on the left are losing sleep over it and raging at the ISIS kingpin being insulted as weeping and cowardly in death.

[treestar]

53. No one on the left is losing sleep over anything

Stupid insults mean nothing either - it was not necessary for Dotard to make those statements. He could have died in a "brave" fashion for all we know. It does not really matter. The Dotard is a coward too, and a liar.

[Jarqui]

5. 13,435 false or misleading claims since entering the Oval Office

according to the Washington Post

There is no reason to believe anything he says

[Shoonra]

6. What if this is a hoax?

ISIS itself has not yet (as far as I know) acknowledged that its leader is dead. He's been reported dead/injured/captured repeatedly over the past several years; it seems to be a standard Arab trick to make such announcements or calculated leaks.

We have Russia denying Trump's story of an American flight over Russian territory and of Russia being asked for and giving permission for this operation.
We have persuasive evidence that Trump's photo of himself and a few high-ranking military in the Situation Room was staged hours after the supposed mission was over.
We have reason to doubt Trump's colorful characterizations of ben-Baghdadi's last moments.
We have doubts that the Special Forces could identify DNA in a mere 15 minutes.

We might yet be treated to a video of Baghdadi denying he was killed ... and that video might be fake but it would persuade a lot of people that Trump lied.
If Trump is doubted (even wrongly) about this event, it might be the final nail in his presidential coffin.

[Gymbo]

7. Let's see the DNA

If Trump is an inveterate liar and can't be trusted, neither can his claim of killing al Baghdadi. Let's see the original DNA paperwork and a certified conclusion. Sound familiar? it is.

[eggplant]

8. Also, he wasn't in the Sit Room when it went down. He was golfing.

[stuffmatters]

15. & In the SR photo all looking in difft directions. Pence even oogling the handsome guy.

[treestar]

50. Do we even know that he authorized the mission?

Made the decision. Whether to attempt it himself ? Or is he taking credit for something he did not bear the burden of had it failed? You can bet if it had he would be blaming someone else.

[donkeypoofed]

9. Wasn't that ISIS loser already dead ?!

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Baghdadi! Baghdadi! Baghdadi!

Lies about Baghdadi!

[SergeStorms]

11. With Donald Trump....

you just assume he's lying. If a time comes when he should happen to tell the truth, that would be news worthy.

[stuffmatters]

12. Knew he was lying when he kept quoting forces calling him "sir" in his supposed audio feed.

[Eyeball_Kid]

13. Surprise! Trumpy always lies! n/t

[Botany]

14. Trump was not in the White House situation room during the raid

He was golfing

[madaboutharry]

16. This is another example of Trump's sick mind.

Trump has a criminal mind. Even when the truth is good enough there is something sick deep inside of him that needs to turn it into a lie.

[PSPS]

17. Yeah, but his fantasy version gave him a woody

[Marie Marie]

19. And even then, he needed the help of that little blue pill.

[OnlinePoker]

18. whimpering, crying and screaming all the way

I want to see this when they're hauling Trump away in handcuffs.

[myohmy2]

20. trump lies...

...all the time...

...it's doubtful he'd be telling the complete truth now...

...trump the habitual liar...

...

[keithbvadu2]

21. Trump is remembering the underage girls he has 'dated'.

"whimpering, crying and screaming all the way"

Trump is remembering the underage girls he has 'dated'.

[democratisphere]

26. drumpf doesn't know how to tell the truth about anything.

[Javaman]

38. whatever happened to this story?

ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi targeted, believed dead in US raid in Syria: Sources

https://news.yahoo.com/isis-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-targeted-believed-043803430.html

snip--

One official told ABC News al-Baghdadi is believed to have detonated a suicide vest he was wearing as a U.S. special mission unit carried out a ground raid in Idlib. The building containing al-Baghdadi was leveled by U.S. operators, the official said.

U.S. officials said they're awaiting final confirmation of his death through fingerprinting or other biometric methods.

The White House declined to comment, saying the president was planning to deliver remarks at 9 a.m. EDT Sunday. No details were provided on what would be included in President Donald Trump's remarks.

The Pentagon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

[olddad65]

44. Trump is just doing his job by making up these stories.

His job is to stay in the headlines. Keep the focus on himself. Keep the focus off of Russia while they push into Africa, the Baltic states, the middle east, the Scandinavian counties, Brazil and south america. His job is to weaken this country while Russia gets stronger and bolder. He is making his owners proud.

[mia]

51. Dogs - "outfitted with night vision and a video camera that the dog's handler watches in real time."

Maybe there was a video.

Before Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, he was "screaming, crying and whimpering" as he was fleeing U.S. forces, winding up trapped in a dead-end tunnel in his Syrian compound, according to President Trump.

Baghdadi was being chased through the tunnel by a U.S. officer who is being celebrated as a crucial part of the top-secret mission that ended in the demise of one of the world's most wanted terrorist leaders.

That officer is a dog....

The four-legged special operations members are also typically outfitted with night vision and a video camera that the dog's handler watches in real time. If danger is spotted, the dog will sit, signaling the troops to stop....

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/28/774156283/dog-injured-in-syrian-terrorist-raid-is-hailed-as-a-hero-in-the-mission