Democracy Now 6am

The Death of al-Baghdadi: ISIS Grew Out of U.S. Invasion of Iraq. What Will Happen Next?

President Trump announced Sunday that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a U.S. Special Forces raid on his compound in northwestern Syria. According to Trump, al-Baghdadi detonated an explosive vest he was wearing, killing himself and three of his children. The raid began early Sunday when eight U.S. military helicopters flew from a base near Erbil, Iraq, to northwestern Syria over airspace controlled by Syria and Russia. Baghdadi had led ISIS since 2010. In 2014, he proclaimed the creation of an Islamic State or caliphate during a speech in Mosul. At its peak, ISIS controlled a large swath of land across Syria and Iraq and maintained a force of tens of thousands of fighters recruited from more than 100 countries. The group also claimed responsibility for deadly attacks across five continents. We speak with three guests: Juan Cole, author and professor of history at the University of Michigan; Emma Beals, award-winning investigative journalist and researcher who has covered the Syrian conflict since 2012; and Rami Khouri, senior public policy fellow and journalist-in-residence at the American University of Beirut, and a columnist at The New Arab.

Playlist

Artist Song Album Label
IncognitoNeed To KnowTribes, Vibes And ScribesVerve
Naseer ShammaMin Ashur Ila IshbiliyaLe luth de BagdadInstitut du Monde Arabe
Víctor JaraEl Derecho De Vivir En PazThe Greatest HitsOne World Productions
CaribouKid You'll Move MountainsUp In FlamesThe Leaf Label

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