This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
On Veterans' Day, November 11, 2019, US President Donald Trump celebrated the killing of the Islamic State's former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and placed the group's new chief in the crosshairs.
Trump made an address ahead of New York's annual Veterans' Day parade, a stark contrast to the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington.
His speech came after widespread criticism of his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, which opponents and allies feared could allow the Islamic State to rebuild and leave Kurdish fighters vulnerable to a Turkish invasion.
Trump claimed that the IS leadership was running scared following Baghdadi's death in a raid in northwestern Syria on October 26, 2019.
"Just a few weeks ago, American special forces raided the ISIS compound and brought the world's number one terrorist leader to justice," he said.
Trump also mentioned that the second-in-command of the Islamic State was dead and that the US had its eyes on the third-in-command.
After the death of Baghdadi and the Islamic State's main spokesman, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, the organisation named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as its new leader.
Following the announcement of a full troop withdrawal, Trump said that he would leave some troops in the region to protect valuable oil fields.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that US troop levels in northern Syria would likely stabilize around 500.
Trump's visit to New York was met with a cool reception from some in the city, with anti-Trump banners and chants of "lock him up" heard in the streets.
