President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. military had killed the person who likely would have succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of Islamic State. 'Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's number one replacement has been terminated by American troops,' Trump wrote on Twitter. 'Most likely would have taken the top spot.' Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2019 Trump did not specify who he was referring to, but the United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group. Trump on Sunday announced the killing of Baghdadi by U.S. special operations forces in northwestern Syria. A senior State Department official said on Monday that al-Muhajir was killed in a separate operation. The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said on Sunday that al-Muhajir was killed in a joint raid between Kurdish-led and U.S. forces in northern Syria.
