Home | WebMail | Register or Login

      Calgary | Regions | Local Traffic Report | Advertise on Action News | Contact

Sign Up

Sign Up

Please fill this form to create an account.

Already have an account? Login here.

Posted: 2019-10-29T04:14:18Z | Updated: 2019-10-29T04:14:18Z

When President Donald Trump told the nation on Sunday morning about the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , he claimed the leader of the self-described Islamic State had died like a dog and a coward during a U.S. military operation in Syria whimpering and crying and screaming as he fled into a tunnel before blowing himself up.

But top administration officials have questioned where Trump, who watched the operation unfold from the Situation Room, got those details of Baghdadis final moments. The livestream the president had been watching did not have audio and showed only overhead surveillance footage, The New York Times reported , citing military and intelligence officials.

Those surveillance feeds could not show what was happening in an underground tunnel, much less detect if [Baghdadi] was whimpering or crying, the Times said.

At least five current senior administration officials expressed bafflement at Trumps whimpering remark, The Daily Beast reported Monday.

Two officials recounted how after they heard [Trumps announcement] on Sunday, they immediately began messaging each other questions and comments like, uh where is he getting that? the news outlet said.

REPORTER: You mentioned that al-Baghdadi was 'whimpering.' Could you hear that on your video hookup?

TRUMP: I don't want to talk about it, but he was screaming, crying, & whimpering. And he was scared out of his mind. Think of James Foley, think of Kayla... he didn't want to die pic.twitter.com/yAUAMjPgPZ

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 27, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Aaron Rupar","author_url":"https://twitter.com/atrupar","cache_age":86400,"description":"REPORTER: You mentioned that al-Baghdadi was 'whimpering.' Could you hear that on your video hookup?TRUMP: I don't want to talk about it, but he was screaming, crying, & whimpering. And he was scared out of his mind. Think of James Foley, think of Kayla... he didn't want to die pic.twitter.com/yAUAMjPgPZ Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 27, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_hide_thread":{"label":"Hide previous Tweet in conversation thread","value":true}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":675,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1188503874958741505/pu/img/WPPpJ5jfRpf2aZuj.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"Aaron Rupar on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1188504287061651457","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5db7aa80e4b0bd610250089c","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/trump-baghdadi-whimpering_n_5db7aa80e4b0bd610250089c","entryTagsList":"donald-trump,islamic-state,abu-bakr-al-baghdadi,mark-a-milley","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"us-news,world-news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":10},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5db7aa80e4b0bd610250089c","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/donald-trump","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump"},"relegenceId":2789214,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/donald-trump"},{"name":"Islamic State","slug":"islamic-state","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/islamic-state","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/islamic-state","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/islamic-state"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"World News","slug":"world-news"},"topic":{"title":"Islamic State","slug":"islamic-state","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/islamic-state"},{"name":"abu bakr al baghdadi","slug":"abu-bakr-al-baghdadi","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi"},{"name":"Mark A. Milley","slug":"mark-a-milley","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/mark-a-milley","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/mark-a-milley","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/mark-a-milley"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/mark-a-milley"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

REPORTER: You mentioned that al-Baghdadi was 'whimpering.' Could you hear that on your video hookup?

TRUMP: I don't want to talk about it, but he was screaming, crying, & whimpering. And he was scared out of his mind. Think of James Foley, think of Kayla... he didn't want to die pic.twitter.com/yAUAMjPgPZ

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 27, 2019

The Pentagon has also distanced itself from the presidents comments.

Asked on Sunday whether Baghdadi had indeed been whimpering and crying in the moments before his death, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, I dont have those details.

The following day, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he also didnt have the same information as Trump but suggested the president may have gotten his information from military personnel on the ground.

I know the president had planned to talk down to the unit and unit members, Milley told reporters. But I dont know what the source of that was. I assume it was talking directly to unit and unit members.

But two senior officials told the Daily Beast that, although Trump could have spoken to commandos on the ground who carried out the raid ... that has not often been the case in past operations.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark A. Milley says he has no idea where Trump got his story about al-Baghdadi \"whimpering and crying.\" pic.twitter.com/GHHJzDDHvI

Oliver Willis (@owillis) October 28, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Oliver Willis","author_url":"https://twitter.com/owillis","cache_age":86400,"description":"Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark A. Milley says he has no idea where Trump got his story about al-Baghdadi \"whimpering and crying.\" pic.twitter.com/GHHJzDDHvI Oliver Willis (@owillis) October 28, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_hide_thread":{"label":"Hide previous Tweet in conversation thread","value":true}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":673,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1188871018041004032/pu/img/y28VB1o8QuEQoTfz.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"Oliver Willis on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1188871111414554629","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5db7aa80e4b0bd610250089c","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/trump-baghdadi-whimpering_n_5db7aa80e4b0bd610250089c","entryTagsList":"donald-trump,islamic-state,abu-bakr-al-baghdadi,mark-a-milley","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"us-news,world-news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":10},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5db7aa80e4b0bd610250089c","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/donald-trump","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump"},"relegenceId":2789214,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/donald-trump"},{"name":"Islamic State","slug":"islamic-state","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/islamic-state","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/islamic-state","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/islamic-state"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"World News","slug":"world-news"},"topic":{"title":"Islamic State","slug":"islamic-state","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/islamic-state"},{"name":"abu bakr al baghdadi","slug":"abu-bakr-al-baghdadi","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi"},{"name":"Mark A. Milley","slug":"mark-a-milley","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/mark-a-milley","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/mark-a-milley","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/mark-a-milley"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/mark-a-milley"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark A. Milley says he has no idea where Trump got his story about al-Baghdadi "whimpering and crying." pic.twitter.com/GHHJzDDHvI

Oliver Willis (@owillis) October 28, 2019

Baghdadis death is a major blow to ISIS and has been welcomed internationally as a victory against terrorism. It will also undoubtedly be remembered as one of the signature achievements of Trumps presidency.

Trump, however, has come under scrutiny for his description of the operation that led to Baghdadis downfall. Other than his remarks regarding Baghdadis final moments, the president has also been scrutinized for his apparent downplaying of the role that allies, including Iraq and Syrian Kurds, played in the successful mission.

Though Trump thanked Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Syrian Kurds for their help in taking down the extremist leader, he insisted the U.S. got very little help overall.

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost

We had our own intel, he said Sunday. We got very little help. We didnt need much help.

Reports have since emerged of how Iraqi and Kurdish intelligence officials worked closely with the CIA to determine Baghdadis precise location.

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost