ISIS acknowledges Baghdadi's death, names new leader

ISIS.
(Image credit: OMAR HAJ KADOUR/Getty Images)

ISIS has acknowledged the death of its leader for the first time.

A U.S. military operation killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Saturday evening, leaving the terrorist group without one of its most formative leaders. ISIS seemed to go on without mentioning Baghdadi's death, but finally did so for the first time Thursday by naming Baghdadi's successor, multiple sources report.

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President Trump announced Baghdadi's death on Sunday, and followed that up Tuesday with the news that Muhajir was "terminated by American troops" hours after the Baghdadi operation. Trump didn't mention Mujahir's name at the time, but did call him Baghdadi's "No. 1 replacement." The Mujahir mission was in coordination with Kurdish forces, who Trump has moved to leave without U.S. backup in Syria.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.