Senior officials at the Department of Defense released photographs and video from the Syrian raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

"This was a true inter-agency effort, so I commend our partners across the U.S. government," Gen. Frank McKenzie said at a news conference late Wednesday afternoon.

McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said that when al-Baghdadi's capture at the hands of U.S. forces was imminent, the ISIS leader detonated a bomb, killing himself and two young children.

About the Author

Featured

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives to a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP