Officials say they weren't that surprised Trump publicly revealed highly sensitive details about Baghdadi raid
President Trump went into great detail describing what happened during the raid that led to the demise of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but some current and former U.S. officials told NBC News they were wincing as he spoke.
Trump discussed the "K-9, as they call it, I call it a dog" that went after Baghdadi and was injured when he detonated a suicide vest, and revealed that "highly sensitive material and information" was seized from Baghdadi's compound. Not everything was accurate though, the officials said. For instance, Trump declared that Baghdadi was "crying and screaming" while being chased by U.S. forces, but officials told NBC News they didn't hear any such sounds.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There are concerns that Trump, by revealing both highly classified and sensitive information, tipped off terrorist groups, giving them valuable insight into how the U.S. gathers intelligence. By saying that the U.S. now has documents outlining ISIS's plans for the future, it makes it harder for the military to carry out operations against militants, the officials said. Trump talked about how the helicopters landed at Baghdadi's compound, that the U.S. knew there were dead-end tunnels underground, and that there was a robot on hand to assist the special forces — tactical information that terrorist groups shouldn't know. Read more at NBC News.
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
