LI, state lawmakers applaud news of ISIS leader's death

Long Island and New York lawmakers applauded the news Sunday that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed during a raid in northern Syria.

President Donald Trump announced that during a U.S. Special Operations forces-led raid on Saturday, al-Baghdadi had been chased into a dead-end tunnel and set off a suicide vest, killing himself and three children.

“It is a very significant accomplishment; to kill him it sends a strong signal,” Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said. “He was to ISIS what bin Laden was to Al-Qaida. He’s the symbol to them about all that was powerful about ISIS.”

King cautioned against the United States letting its guard down with thousands of ISIS members left, and with American troops being pulled out of Syria, the terrorist group could be emboldened and reorganize, he said.

“The worst thing we could do is try to take a victory lap or convince ourselves this struggle is over,” King said. “It’s more important than ever that we stay there.”

In a statement, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said, “A world without Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a better world without one of the most evil, murderous animals in human history. He eagerly destroyed lives and victimized the innocent in some of the most grotesque ways imaginable.”

“Americans woke up this Sunday morning especially grateful for the men and women involved in this successful operation to deliver justice to this cowardly ISIS terrorist. There is no doubt — terrorists and their hateful ideology cannot evade justice or outlast the greatest nation in the world.”

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said in a statement, “Big win for America and the world! We got the mastermind and leader of ISIS. This success was achieved through the leadership of the United States, our armed forces, the sheer bravery of the men and women in our military and our intelligence communities, working in close coordination with our allies in the region, who are as committed to eradicating terrorism as the United States.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) also expressed gratitude for those in the armed services, but criticized Trump's handling of Syria and terrorism.

“I will continue to speak out against his ill-advised policies that have really harmed our allies such as the Kurds and made the region more unstable,” she said.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called al-Baghdadi "a dangerous man, an evil man.”

"Despite this great victory, we must not confuse the death of this evil man with the total defeat of ISIS," he said, pointing to potentially hundreds of ISIS prisoners and sympathizers who have escaped in recent weeks. “New Yorkers know all too well the destruction a small group of terrorists thousands of miles overseas can cause from so far away."

Reps. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) and Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans) did not return requests for comment.

With Jesse Coburn and Michael O'Keeffe