Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday that because of the successful U.S. raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made the world "better and safer . . . because one monster was no longer in it."
"We owe a debt of thanks to the men and women of our intelligence community for taking grave risks, cultivating key partnerships in the region, and laying the groundwork for the swift and precise operation," McConnell said on the Senate floor.
"This victory offers us an important strategic reminder about the value of our nation's investment in advanced military capabilities, American military presence abroad, and deep relationships with foreign allies and local security partners."
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Baghdadi died after detonating a suicide vest when he was cornered in a dead-end tunnel by U.S. special forces in northern Syria.
Baghdadi was "whimpering and crying" before he set off the vest, Trump said, and the terrorist was positively identified by DNA tests 15 minutes after he died.
"He was a sick and depraved man and now he's gone," Trump said in a televised address from the White House.
U.S. forces suffered no personnel losses, the president said, and he thanked Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq for their support.
McConnell called Baghdadi "the single most important target in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism.
"His band of fanatics has committed heinous crimes, shed an unimaginable amount of civilian blood, and destabilized an entire region."
The majority leader then listed a bevy of atrocities committed by ISIS over the years, ranging from the deadly caliphate it established in Syria and Iraq to the beheading of American journalist James Foley in 2014 and the kidnapping and eventual death of human rights activist Kayla Mueller the following year.
"This weekend's operation was code-named in Kayla's honor," McConnell said.
"Today, we remember these brave Americans, and all the courageous U.S. servicemembers and DOD civilians who gave their lives to fight ISIS.
"In their memories, we are glad justice has been done," he said. "In their memories, we resolve not to back down, but to persist in this fight until we've secured the enduring defeat of this dangerous and determined enemy."
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