America achieved an important victory over the Islamic State yesterday with the elimination of ISIS’ founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Commander-in-Chief Trump deserves credit for ordering such a dangerous mission, second only to that earned by the heroic special operators who executed it flawlessly.
Two facts must temper our celebrations, however. First, al- Baghdadi was reportedly enroute to Turkey to gain safe-haven for his family. That should remind us the Islamist Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is an enabler of ISIS, not a reliable partner in destroying it.
Second, other Shariah supremacists, including some tied to ISIS, are now far advanced in setting up a vast new caliphate in Nigeria – potentially a far richer and more dangerous one than al-Baghdadi’s.
We must defeat such violent groups and their stealthy counterparts, at home as well as abroad, not just neutralize their leaders.
Frank Gaffney, Jr. is president of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), a columnist for The Washington Times, and host of the nationally syndicated program, Secure Freedom Radio. Read more reports from Frank Gaffney, Jr. — Click Here Now.
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