On October 27th, President Trump announced that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a prominent leader of ISIS, had been killed in a U.S. Special Forces raid in Northwest Syria. When apprehended, Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children by detonating a suicide vest. While eleven ISIS operatives were killed in the raid, there were no U.S. casualties.
“Baghdadi was vicious and violent,” President Trump said upon announcing Baghdadi’s death, “And he died in a vicious and violent way, as a coward, running and crying.”
Since 2014, Baghdadi had been in command of ISIS. Their goal was to create a global Islamic caliphate. His forces pursued this objective by fighting their way across Syria and Iraq, specifically targeting religious minorities and destroying many historical monuments.
Westerners in the region had also been a target for ISIS forces. One humanitarian worker from the U.S. was kidnapped by ISIS. It is believed that Baghdadi violated and murdered the humanitarian worker after she was forced to marry him. According to CNN, the U.S. military named the mission to eliminate Baghdadi after her.
Across the globe, protests in Chile have turned violent as nearly 1000 protestors gathered in Santiago. The media has criticized police for an excessive use of force. These protests have served to cripple public transportation as people try to commute to and from work.
Advocating for more social services and greater political equality, the protestors are demonstrating against the government of President Sebastian Pinera. Pinera has attempted to pacify the protestors by putting more moderates in his cabinet including the leaders of Chile’s interior, treasury, economy, and labor department. These actions have not satisfied the protestors.
“Last Friday we had a peaceful protest and being peaceful they didn’t listen to us,” a 25-year-old welder told the AP, “You have to get their attention somehow.”
In Nigeria, officials have raided The Koranic and Rehabilitation Center, a private Islamic boarding school in Daura. Described as “torture houses” by officials, this school and several others were advertised as places for parents to send their drug-addicted or otherwise troubled children.
The children at these schools lived in horrific conditions. They were chained in their rooms and had to eat and sleep in the same area in which they went to the bathroom. The children were also reportedly violated by staff members.
Though many of those enslaved at the center had escaped, police rescued 67 boys and men from the school in Daura. There have been several raids in the region recently to these rehabilitation centers, with many turning out to be centers of abuse.
“People believe that these schools have the spiritual power to heal,” says Jaafar Jaafar of The Daily Nigerian, “they don't mind how much the children are dehumanised, or how they're treated, as long as their child receives a Koranic education and is rehabilitated."
A Global Prayer Vigil for captured Nigerian school girl Leah Sharibu was held on October 26. The vigil was organized by “Save the Persecuted Christians” and the “Leah Foundation.” Sharibu has been in the hands of the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram since February 19, 2018.
While Sharibu was originally captured with around 109 other school girls, she alone still remains prisoner. The reason for her imprisonment is her refusal to convert to Islam and renounce Christianity.
“We join the human rights community and faith leaders from around the world in praying and advocating for Leah and all the other school children held captive by Boko Haram,” said Dede Laugesen, Director of Save the Persecuted Christians.