RIYADH — Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense congratulated US President Donald Trump in a telephone call on the successful operation carried out by US special forces that led to the killing of Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
Calling it a ‘historic step in the fight against extremism’, the prince hailed Baghdadi’s death as the start of a ‘new era’, according to state media.
The call marks Prince Mohammed’s first public comments on the special forces raid which cornered Baghdadi on Saturday night.
Trump responded by praising the ‘continuous and fruitful co-operation’ between Riyadh and Washington in ‘combatting terrorism and drying up its sources’.
A Saudi foreign ministry source had yesterday hailed Baghdadi’s death and said the terrorist leader had ‘distorted the real image of Islam’.
‘Saudi Arabia continues its efforts with its allies, especially the United States, in fighting terrorism,’ the source added.
Baghdadi had called for attacks against Saudi Arabia when the kingdom joined the U.S.-led coalition against his terrorist group.
He also used derogatory terms to refer to the Saudi royal family in his propaganda speeches.
ISIS militants have carried out deadly bombings and shootings in Saudi Arabia since the authorities crushed an al-Qaeda insurgency more than a decade ago.
