Trump awards special ops unit that took out ISIS leader Baghdadi with presidential citation
President Trump this week awarded a Presidential Unit Citation to the U.S. special operations unit involved in the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last year.
Roughly one year ago, Baghdadi was killed during a U.S. special forces operation in Syria that culminated in him detonating a suicide vest. Baghdadi’s death was widely considered a significant advance in the fight against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria.
“His body was mutilated by the blast, but test results gave certain and positive identification,” Mr. Trump said the next day.
On Thursday, the president awarded the team involved with the Presidential Unit Citation, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
“Today, President @realDonaldTrump visited Army Special Operations Forces at Fort Bragg. He presented the Presidential Unit Citation to these brave heroes who conducted the successful al-Baghdadi raid,” she tweeted.
“What an absolute honor to meet America’s best!”
According to the Army, the Presidential Unit Citation “is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and co-belligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy.”
“This award will normally be earned by units that have participated in single or successive actions covering relatively brief time spans,” the Army’s description reads. “Only on rare occasions will a unit larger than battalion qualify for award of this decoration.”