Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
On October 26–27, 2019, the United States conducted a special operation that resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-leader and self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist organization. The operation took place in the outskirts of Barisha, Idlib Governorate, Syria. According to General Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) commander who oversaw the operation, Baghdadi killed himself along with two children when he detonated a suicide belt while seeking to evade the U.S. forces during the raid. The special forces that carried out the operation named their task force "Task Force 8-14" after the date of dead American hostage Kayla Mueller's birthday.