the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to Home Land Security On October 26, US Special Operations Forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a raid in the northwest Syrian village of Barisha, located in the Idlib province. In 2014, Baghdadi declared the establishment of a worldwide caliphate in Iraq and Syria, leading many homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) to travel overseas to join the group and conduct attacks in the United States. Baghdadi appeared in only two propaganda videos, one announcing the caliphate in 2014 and one in April 2019.
- The CIA located Baghdadi and shared intelligence with the Department of Defense, leading to weeks of surveillance. President Donald Trump stated they planned two to three operations before ultimately approving the final operation that led to Baghdadi’s death.
- The operation launched from Erbil, Iraq. US forces arrived at the compound in northern Syria engaging and killing a “large number of ISIS fighters.” The commandos captured at least two ISIS fighters and 11 children. Baghdadi attempted to hide in a “dead end” tunnel with three children and detonated a suicide vest, leading to his death.
Currently, there are no known or credible threats to New Jersey because of this incident. However, due to Baghdadi’s notoriety and global support, the threat from retaliatory attacks is possible. ISIS media and supporters will likely use Baghdadi’s death as an attempt to motivate global followers. As this is a major blow to the group’s organizational structure, the coming weeks will provide insight into ISIS’s decision-making and contingency processes. Prior to Baghdadi’s death, the group planned for Abdullah Qardash, a former officer for Saddam Hussein, to succeed. According to open-source reports, Qardash was already leading “day-to-day operations and kill campaigns.”
- We encourage New Jersey’s residents to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement and NJOHSP by calling 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ or by emailing tips@njohsp.gov.
