UPDATE: TRUMP CRYPTIC TWEEET ON SATURDAY NIGHT: “Something very big has just happened!” but did not follow up with further details.

UPDATE: TRUMP CRYPTIC TWEEET ON SATURDAY NIGHT: “Something very big has just happened!” but did not follow up with further details.

A few minutes ago, the US media has stated that the IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdad the world’s most wanted man’ was killed in a US raid against Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, clearing the air on Trump’s a cryptic tweet on Saturday saying: “Something very big has just happened!”
Previously the IS leader was wrongly reported to be dead on several previous occasions by the media but various media outlets say US forces targeted the militant leader in a raid in Idlib province, in north-west Syria but the White House has neither confirmed that an operation took place, nor its alleged outcome.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said helicopter gunfire had killed nine people near a village in the Syrian province of Idlib, where “groups linked to the Islamic State group” were present.
The US President Donald Trump wass expected to make his statement at 13:00 GMT (09:00 US local time) on Sunday.
The fugitive leader of the Islamic State (IS) group has been killed in a US military operation in northwest Syria, President Donald Trump has said.
Speaking from the White House, Mr Trump said Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest after being caught at the end of a tunnel by special forces., killing his three children and himself.
Baghdadi came to prominence in 2014, when he announced the creation of a “caliphate” in areas of Iraq and Syria.
IS carried out multiple atrocities that resulted in thousands of deaths.
Mr Trump said Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died after detonating a suicide vestThe jihadist group imposed a brutal rule on almost eight million people in the areas under its control and was behind many attacks in cities around the world. The US declared the “caliphate” defeated earlier this year.
The killing of Baghdadi is a major victory for Mr Trump, who has been heavily criticised for his decision to pull US troops out of northern Syria earlier this month and is fighting an impeachment inquiry launched by Democrats.
Where IS is still active around the worldWho was Baghdadi?IS: The long and short storyIn an unusual Sunday morning statement, Mr Trump said Baghdadi died after running into a dead-end tunnel in Idlib province, “whimpering, crying and screaming all the way”, as he was chased by US dogs.
Baghdadi was accompanied by three of his young children, Mr Trump said, and detonated his suicide vest, killing them all. The blast mutilated Baghdadi’s body but DNA tests confirmed his identity, the president added.
“The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, in total panic and dread, terrified of the American forces bearing down on him,” Mr Trump said.
What is known about the operation?The location in Idlib province was far from where Baghdadi had been thought to be hiding along the Syria-Iraq border. Many parts of Idlib are under the control of jihadists opposed to IS but rival groups are suspected of sheltering IS militants.
Baghdadi had been under surveillance for “a couple of weeks” and several other raids had been cancelled because of his movements, the president said, describing the location as a “compound”.
No US soldiers had been killed but a number of Baghdadi’s followers also died while others were captured, Mr Trump said, adding that “highly sensitive material and information” had been gathered.
A resident in Barisha, where the raid reportedly took place, told the BBC helicopters shot for 30 minutes late on Saturday, before troops became active on the ground. Helicopters fired at two houses, flattening one, he said.
The site where the operation reportedly took placeSyrian Kurdish-led forces – one of the main US allies in northern Syria until President Trump withdrew US troops from the area this month – said they had carried out a “historic” joint operation.
Mr Trump praised them, as well as Russia, Iraq, Turkey and Syria for giving “certain support” to the operation.
WHO IS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?The IS leader has been described as the world’s most wanted man.
In October 2011, the US officially designated him a “terrorist” and offered a reward of $10m (£5.8m at the time) for information leading to his capture or death. This was increased to $25m in 2017.
Baghdadi has a reputation as a highly organised and ruthless battlefield tactician.Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: US ‘conducts operation against IS chief’ – US media
Baghdadi has a reputation as a highly organised and ruthless battlefield tactician.
He was born near Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971, and his real name is Ibrahim Awad al-Badri.
Reports suggest he was a cleric in a mosque in the city around the time of the US-led invasion in 2003.
Some believe he was already a militant jihadist during the rule of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Others suggest he was radicalised during the time he was held at Camp Bucca, a US facility in southern Iraq where many al-Qaeda commanders were detained.
He emerged in 2010 as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, one of the groups that merged with IS, and rose to prominence during the attempted merger with the al-Nusra Front in Syria.
IS released a video of a man it said was Baghdadi earlier this year. Before this, he had not been seen since 2014, when he proclaimed from Mosul the creation of a “caliphate” across parts of Syria and Iraq.
He was born near Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971, and his real name is Ibrahim Awad al-Badri.
Reports suggest he was a cleric in a mosque in the city around the time of the US-led invasion in 2003.
Some believe he was already a militant jihadist during the rule of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Others suggest he was radicalised during the time he was held at Camp Bucca, a US facility in southern Iraq where many al-Qaeda commanders were detained.
He emerged in 2010 as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, one of the groups that merged with IS, and rose to prominence during the attempted merger with the al-Nusra Front in Syria.
IS released a video of a man it said was Baghdadi earlier this year. Before this, he had not been seen since 2014, when he proclaimed from Mosul the creation of a “caliphate” across parts of Syria and Iraq.BBC/ CNBCsee more at http://newzimbabwevision.com/update-trump-cryptic-tweeet-on-saturday-night-something-very-big-has-just-happened-but-did-not-follow-up-with-further-details/