The US Navy SEAL who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden had some parting words for ISIS mastermind Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: 'tell bin Laden I said what’s up.'
After President Trump announced Sunday morning that al-Baghdadi 'died like a dog' as the result of an overnight U.S. Special Ops forces raid on his hideout in northwest Syria, Robert J. O'Neill took to Twitter to bid adieu to the ISIS leader.
'Hey scumbag, tell bin Laden I said what’s up,' O'Neill tweeted Sunday.
Former Navy SEAL Robert J. O'Neill (pictured) took to Twitter Sunday with a parting shot at dead ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. O'Neill fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden
O'Neill tweeted that al-Baghdadi (pictured) should 'tell bin Laden I said what’s up'
O'Neill's tweet came in the wake of President Trump revealing that al-Baghdadi died during a Special Forces raid over night
O'Neill, 43, is the former US Navy SEAL who says he fired the fatal shots that killed bin Laden during SEAL Team 6's May 2011 operation in Pakistan that left the Al-Qaeda leader dead.
O'Neill also tweeted congratulations to the members of the US Special Forces team that was involved with the al-Baghdadi operation.
'We’ve once again proven that it doesn’t matter where you hide... we will find you. Great job guys,' O'Neill tweeted.
As details about the operation became public throughout the day, Trump told reporters Sunday that he didn't tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the raid prior to it occurring overnight in Syria.
Trump said that he 'wanted to make sure this kept secret. I didn't want to have men lost, and women. I don't want to have people lost.'
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, meanwhile, told ABC This Week that neither he nor the Gang of Eight - a bi-partisan group of eight US Senators on the intelligence committee - were informed about the raid.
Two other tweets that O'Neill posted on Sunday, after al-Baghdadi's death was revealed
President Trump teased al-Baghdadi's death and the raid on Saturday night, after it occurred
Despite being kept in the dark, Schiff said 'good riddance. [Al-Baghdadi] was a bloodthirsty killer to the degree that he retained operational control of ISIS.'
He also called the raid 'an operational success' and a 'symbolic victory.'
Al-Baghdadi 'had the blood of thousands and thousands of people on his hands, including many Americans and American journalists. So, this a great day, a ruthless killer has been brought to justice,' Schiff said.
Schiff did note, however, that 'the reason to notify the Gang of Eight is frankly more important if things go wrong.'
Had Russians been hostile and shot down U.S. planes, it would have been important for the intelligence community to be aware of what operations were underway when that happened, he said.
'Had this escalated, had something gone wrong, had we gotten into a fire fight with the Russians, it's to the administration's advantage to be able to say, "We informed Congress we were going in, they were aware of the risks, we at least gave them the chance to provide feedback." That wasn't done here. I think that's a mistake,' Schiff said.
Following Schiff's admission that he had not been briefed about the mission ahead of time, O'Neill tweeted: 'If you’re the House Intel Chairman and are not told about the raid to kill the world’s #1 terrorist ... you might be a leaker. @RepAdamSchiff.'
Trump told the nation in a televised address from the White House that US forces killed a 'large number' of Islamic State (IS) group militants during the raid, which culminated with al-Baghdadi cornered in a tunnel, where he detonated a suicide vest.
'He died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way,' Trump said, adding that three of Baghdadi's children were also killed in the blast.
Trump said that the raid - involving eight helicopters flying more than an hour from an undisclosed base - was carried out with cooperation from Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. He also thanked the Syrian Kurds 'for a certain support they were able to give us.'
Special forces 'executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid in northwestern Syria and accomplished their mission in grand style,' he said.
Trump said that al-Baghdadi's death was confirmed via a DNA field test.
Pelosi demanded that her chamber be briefed on the raid and on Trump's broader regional policies, adding that 'the Russians, but not top congressional leadership, were notified' in advance.
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