What Happened U.S. President Donald Trump announced Oct. 27 that a U.S. military operation carried out by the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force with CIA support in Idlib province in northwestern Syria has resulted in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Al-Baghdadi's death, however, will not do much to significantly weaken the wider capabilities of the Islamic State or its affiliates. What It Means Al-Baghdadi's death represents a significant symbolic victory for the United States and the rest of the anti-Islamic State coalition. Ever since al-Baghdadi declared himself caliph of the Islamic State in July 2014 , his name has been the one to whom new recruits and newly aligned groups have pledged allegiance when joining the extremist group.