General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsShow of hands (or not) who here knew Al Baghdadi's name?
Before this morning. I'd never heard of him and I am pretty sure Trump's never mentioned him before.
irisblue
(32,974 posts)underpants
(182,803 posts)Long week at work (running a conference) and just chilled started Friday afternoon.
I saw this headline pop up and I thought "Who?" And now I see that Trump is trying desperately to have an "I killed Osama Bin Laden" moment.
mainstreetonce
(4,178 posts)Never
Arkansas Granny
(31,516 posts)LittleGirl
(8,287 posts)Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)...according to different sources over the years. Not entirely convinced he's dead this time.
underpants
(182,803 posts)It's not easy being killed several times.
Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)Marvel Comics Universe
In the 2000's, I vaguely remember people talking about Marvel characters dying in comics and then reappearing in later editions
Yavin4
(35,438 posts)Stallion
(6,474 posts)TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)dalton99a
(81,486 posts)Far more Americans have been killed by Trump-inspired white supremacist terrorists in the U.S.
sinkingfeeling
(51,457 posts)before this.
Greybnk48
(10,168 posts)This is now old and tired bullshit, and horribly embarrassing. Trump's mentally ill, clearly.
Kaleva
(36,299 posts)Gidney N Cloyd
(19,835 posts)...but he was never on my radar.
karynnj
(59,503 posts)I followed the detailed effort by the Obama administration to create both the coalition to fight ISIS and to push the Iraqi government to become sufficiently inclusive to enable them to provide the governance of areas in Iraq won back. Obama made an initial speech that laid out what Iraq needed to do before we would help them, and there were two (covered on CSPAN I think) UN sessions as we were assembling allies - one including foreign ministers, led by Kerry, the other led by Obama included many leaders of countries.
In addition to that, there were many articles about ISIS - most describing Al Baghdadi..
I AGREE that few would have heard or known the name. The media in 2014-2016 when Obama led a world wide effort to intelligently fight ISIS did not consider it interesting. It was not shock and awe which they love to cover. It was meetings of the coalition that often were reported to discuss how to demine, rebuild and to have local people able to provide good governance to areas won back.
It is commendable that Obama was more concerned with doing this in a way that would be more likely to lead to stability in the area than to quickly have military victories that would last only as long as we stayed there. Not to mention, the small footprint of the US and EU meant that the local people were the key part of winning back their land. With Trump, much of that was thrown away in the last few weeks as he betrayed the Kurds. In both Syria and Iraq, it was Kurdish fighters who did the lion's share of the work.
If we ever have to go back in, I doubt we can do what Obama did. Why would anyone trust us?
lark
(23,099 posts)Also know his death was previously claimed, so either he lied then or is lying now. Well, it being drumpf, he might have found a way to make both of those lies and Bagdadi is still around somewhere. Actually, I'd bet it's that.
MineralMan
(146,308 posts)unc70
(6,113 posts)Knew quite a bit about him. Previous times he was reportedly killed, about his video appearance this year, his failing health, and his selection of a successor.
erpowers
(9,350 posts)I had seen news stories.
malaise
(268,997 posts)malaise
(268,997 posts)Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Big wins against ISIS!
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The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights is a London-based monitoring group that is widely relied upon by Western news organizations for information on the Syrian civil war. It is seen as reliable in its reporting.
As I reported after the Russian claim on June 16:
Baghdadi has been reported dead several times previously, but Russia has rarely made such claims since its military involvement in the Syrian civil war began in September 2015. The report, which was published in Sputnik, the state-run news service, would be a devastating blow to the group that has steadily lost ground in Iraq and Syria in recent yearspushed back by U.S.-led airstrikes, as well as ground offensives by Iraqi, Kurdish, Shia, and other forces in the region. Russias involvement in Syria has also hurt the group, which still provides potent reminders of its ability to carry out deadly attacks in Western cities.
At the time, the Russian Defense Ministry said Baghdadi was killed along with about 30 mid-level field commanders and up to 300 militants. On June 22, Russias deputy foreign minister told state media it is highly likely Baghdadi was killed in the Russian airstrike on May 28.
malaise
(268,997 posts)ananda
(28,860 posts)But he'd been off my radar for awhile.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Ha. That's what Dipshit said. I did read he was paralyzed and had already given up leadership.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Been saying it since day one - I want him.
You would make a far better president than he would LA
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Your left shoe would make a better prez than Dump. But I love you anyway.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Takket
(21,566 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)Tracer
(2,769 posts)I saw a photo of him (apparently the only one news orgs ever found) giving a sermon and what the news found interesting was the expensive Rolex on his wrist.
GeorgeGist
(25,321 posts)customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Let's face it, what made bin Laden more infamous was the 9/11 attacks, which occurred wholly within the US. While that turned the attention of Americans to radical terrorists, al-Baghdadi faced a more cautious America, and he was never able to do any significant damage on our soil.
But, ISIS became as well known as Al Qaeda, and millions of Americans knew about the terrorist beheadings of people incautious enough to go into the Middle East.
I don't like to say it, and most here will not want to hear it, but this is a big deal, at least through the holidays.
underpants
(182,803 posts)Yes they will try desperately to shove this down everyone's throats but I didn't see it as a big deal. Not a household name by any means.
Stories at trickling out now and this could head towards PFC Jessica Lynch territory.
denbot
(9,899 posts)ooky
(8,922 posts)When I read the news I had to google his name, and then I was like "oh, that guy".
obnoxiousdrunk
(2,910 posts)I think 90% of DU also did know about him....
MaryMagdaline
(6,854 posts)I remember bin laden because he killed 3k Americans on our shore
Ani Yun Wiya
(797 posts)This fellow has been in the news since at least 2003...
Grammy23
(5,810 posts)either during a debate or some other time during the 2016 campaign.
LeftInTX
(25,323 posts)I knew his was credited at the founder of ISIS. I knew what he looked like. I certainly knew his name because it had "Baghdad" in it. I have seen documentaries about him.
I believe he's a Sunni, but I always thought he dressed like an Iranian cleric. I always thought it was odd that an Arab was dressed like an Iranian cleric, but didn't give it too much thought.
jpak
(41,758 posts)He raped and murdered an (American ?) woman captured by ISIS.
Fucking asshole
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)for dead ISIS leader.
Nature Man
(869 posts)that was another guy killed more than once.
CrispyQ
(36,464 posts)Al Baghdadi is not nearly as infamous as bin Laden. It gives me immense pleasure to know that the Con is being eaten away from the inside with jealousy & envy over Obama.
And when that shithole is finally out of office, I will delight in knowing that his tweets will no longer get the attention he craves. He will jones so bad it will drive him crazy. Asshole deserves every bad thing coming his way & more.
tavernier
(12,388 posts)But I do think I remembered hearing that he had been killed before.
maxsolomon
(33,345 posts)I sure as fuck knew his name, but I pay close attention to the clusterfuck we've created in Iraq.
California_Republic
(1,826 posts)MineralMan
(146,308 posts)paleotn
(17,913 posts)News junkie since Weekly Reader.
RobinA
(9,893 posts)Knew he was a major terrorist of some sort. That's it. He's been in the news. Didn't really know he's been killed before.
Caliman73
(11,738 posts)I knew that he was one of the leaders of ISIS, but unlike Osama Bin Laden, there was not a consensus public knowledge that he was "the world's most wanted terrorist".
The news certainly did not have the impact of hearing about Bin Laden's death. I am not sure that it would have gotten fan fare in the Obama Administration. Maybe a press release.
Deb
(3,742 posts)Loved one then asks,"Who is Al Bag Daddy?"
Beakybird
(3,333 posts)Then I saw him walking with his bags the next day, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
SamKnause
(13,103 posts)Jarqui
(10,125 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,692 posts)that it's hard to keep track.
gibraltar72
(7,504 posts)in ear of him.
yellerpup
(12,253 posts)over the last couple of years. Isn't he supposed to be dead already?
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)of the 9/11 hijackers though.
njhoneybadger
(3,910 posts)underpants
(182,803 posts)demosincebirth
(12,537 posts)Liberty Belle
(9,535 posts)He's been the subject of many news reports through the years.
Buzz cook
(2,471 posts)If you had asked me who was the head of ISIS I wouldn't have been able to recall. Al Baghdadi. If you had said his name I would have not been able to say he was the head of ISIS but the name would have sounded familiar.
Put the two together I would have said, oh ya that's right.
The guy wasn't as good at self promotion as Osama.
TomSlick
(11,098 posts)He's been killed several times. Maybe it took this time.
Evolve Dammit
(16,733 posts)Like it was the first time he said it was via teleprompter? Sorry, but I think he is clueless in addition to bat shit crazy.
LAS14
(13,783 posts)... accomplished the mission should get all the praise we can give them.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)It's the way in which Trump constructed the whole mission to support his sick ego. It's more about his one-up on Obama than anything else. He had to grandstand the success with a big speech.
drray23
(7,629 posts)Anybody who closely follows news and read about what's going on in the world from reputable sources knows about him. Of course, the operating world is "reputable " sources, meaning one has to read foreign press to get a full picture.
IronLionZion
(45,442 posts)doc03
(35,336 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)But Trump of course insists he is bigger than Bin Laden, whom everyone has heard of. He is so jealous of Obama it's pathetic.
rpannier
(24,329 posts)Pretty sure Obama mentioned his name several times
I read Euronews and rerl, and they cover that area of the world fairly extensively
And I lived in Korea for about two decades (Japan since last March) and he was covered in both Korean and Japanese press in the early-mid 20-teens
Bettie
(16,107 posts)as if I'd heard it mentioned before, but I wasn't quite sure of the context.
Once I heard the context, I recalled seeing it in a news article at some point.
So, not really...but kinda?