The Saturday night raid that resulted in the death of Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi utilized a number of international alliances and U.S. positions that President Donald Trump has put at risk and tried to end, according to a new report.
As Axios noted Monday, the eight U.S. helicopters used in the operation took off from Iraq and later returned there after the raid was complete. Kurdish partners in Syria, where the raid occurred, provided valuable intelligence to the Americans.
What's more, the U.S. military's presence in Syria, which is winding down after a recent Trump announcement, was necessary for the operation to take place.
Trump has said countless times over the yeas that America's invasion of the Middle East during the George W. Bush administration was a mistake, while his recent drawback of U.S. forces from Syria angered the Syrian Kurds and, according to some critics, could be an invitation for terror groups to reestablish a presence there.