Charlie Sennott: ISIS Is Hurt But Not Defeated

FILE - This file image made from video posted on a militant website Saturday, July 5, 2014, purports to show the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq during his first public appearance. Al-Baghdadi released a new message late on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, encouraging his followers to keep up the fight for the city of Mosul, which they are defending against Iraqi government forces, the SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. organization that monitors militant activity online said Thursday. (Militant video via AP, File)

Arjun Singh is a producer for Boston Public Radio. A California native, Arjun moved to Boston to study international relations at Boston University. Prior to working at WGBH, Arjun worked at a tech company and for a political campaign.

October 28, 2019

Updated August 07, 2023

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS), died during an American military operation. The moment was seen as a victory for the Trump administration, particularly after receiving bipartisan criticism for pulling troops out of northern Syria.

WGBH News analyst Charlie Sennott said that while Al-Baghdadi’s death is a significant blow to ISIS, it does not mean that the group is defeated. He warned that in the wake of Baghdadi’s death, the United States and its allies should be prepared for ISIS to try and regroup.

“I think you’ll see that there will, sadly, be an attempt to carry out more attacks,” Sennott said during an interview with Boston Public Radio on Monday. “They’re not dead yet, and we shouldn’t kid ourselves that they are.”

Sennott also criticized Trump for his braggadocio during a press conference on Sunday, during which Trump claimed that he called for Osama Bin Laden to be killed in 2000. He also implied that the September 11, 2001 attacks never would have occurred had more people listened to him.

“President Trump in the press conference this weekend turned what should have been a victory into a train wreck,” Sennott said.

Sennott is the founder and CEO of the GroundTruth Project.