achieve? i mean, that s the question a lot of people are asking. we re going to have to get more information essentially to figure out what exactly he was doing in idlib province, how exactly he got there. we last heard from him in a video in april in which he seemed to be turning isis outward. it was a month after the defeat of his so-called caliphate. his last stronghold was gone at the hands of syrian kurdish forces and u.s. forces. he then released a video in april of him sitting down and basically saying that he was taking isis global other to countries such as the drc. such as sri lanka. that that was going to be his focus, as well as focusing on other parts of the middle east. i think his long-term strategy remains to be seen. i also think it s worth noting that we have yet to hear any official reaction from the isis propaganda machine which we know is vocal on his death.
reporting is indicating and what many on the ground are saying versus what the president said this morning? i mean, the president saying that he was there to try and rebuild isis possibly but the bottom line is we just don t know how he could have gotten into that region. remember, you know, speaking to many analysts familiar with this area, he is most comfortable in iraq. they have long thought that baghdadi was located in the border regions between syria and iraq. he is iraqi. that s where he has his networks. that s where he d be able to hide. that s where he d be able to most comfortably operate. so to suddenly find him three miles from turkey, you know, raises all sorts of questions. it s unclear exactly what he was doing there. but does it seem realistic to you that baghdadi would be trying to rebuild isis in an area that is not at all friendly to him or what he is trying to
engagement. you think the caliphate destroyed itself? he made a conscious decision when he went to iraq to change the game when it came to destroying isis. he 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. that meets his national security objectives of reducing our footprint and having others do more. and i want to lay these out separately. the president in his remarks mentioned turkey s cooperation when it came to this operation. i m wondering if that changes your view on sanctions. also, the president called you, we understand he did not call other members of the gang of eight, even after the operation was complete. is that a mistake? i don t know who he s calling family members right now. i was in town, so i was right down the street. did you say he called family members?
this world. put aside a moment of the future of isis, i am not sure if this is a game changer senator graham is suggesting this morning. i try not to speak as a muslim for many reasons because i don t speak for muslims and nobody does. let me say this and make an exception this morning. of every muslim i know and every muslim i have come across around the world watching this, good riddance to abu bakr al-baghdadi. here is a man who s primary victim of muslims and came known to the world good riddance to him. the world is a better place for muslims without him on it. this is a man who personally, he did not just oversees crucifixions in the burning of prisons. he personally murdered people, he personally raped repeatedly
strategic. he was the first terrorist leader. eight million people living with its border and he declared himself to ckalif and killing hm is a big deal. in terms of the big picture of terrorism and safety of people and security here in the united states and the region. donald trump is not the man who fights for ideology. donald trump is a pig in isis recruitment video. donald trump is a recruiting sergeant. the fact he killed abu bakr al-baghdadi does not change the fact that thanks to him and his rhetoric and his whole idea and muslim ban which suggests that the united states in a war with is sl