Russia mocked the United States and raised doubts on Sunday over its claims of the 'umpteenth death' of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has been reported killed several times since 2014.
'The Defense Ministry does not have reliable information about the actions of the US army in the Idlib 'de-escalation' zone... concerning the umpteenth "death"' of Baghdadi, defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement made after President Trump thanked Russia for its assistance in the raid.
Konashenkov said on Sunday it was not aware of any assistance that Russia had allegedly provided to the U.S. air forces in the operation that targeted al-Baghdadi, state-run RIA news agency reported.
'We are unaware of any alleged assistance to the flying of U.S. aviation into the airspace of the Idlib de-escalation zone during this operation,' Konashenkov was quoted by RIA as saying.
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Trump said earlier on Sunday that al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by U.S. special forces in northwest Syria and thanked Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq for their support.
Trump said that al-Baghdadi died 'whimpering and crying' during the raid, which he called a major victory over the jihadist group.
Al-Baghdadi killed himself during the raid by detonating a suicide vest after fleeing into a dead-end tunnel, Trump said in a televised address from the White House.
He was positively identified by DNA tests 15 minutes after he died, the President said.
'He was a sick and depraved man and now he's gone,' said Trump, adding that capturing or killing al-Baghdadi had been the top national security priority for his administration.
The death of al-Baghdadi is a severe blow to Islamic State, which has been in disarray and has no declared successor as leader yet.
But the group has in the past proved resilient, continuing to mount or inspire attacks in the region and beyond despite losing most of its territory in recent years.
Trump said 'many' of al-Baghdadi's people were killed in the raid and added that in blowing himself up, al-Baghdadi also killed three of his children.
U.S. forces suffered no personnel losses, he said. He also thanked Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq for their support.
Turkey said it was proud to have helped 'bring a notorious terrorist to justice' and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on an 'impressive achievement.'
But Russia's response was muted.
Al-Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States as head of a jihadist group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate.
Islamic State has carried out atrocities against religious minorities and attacks on five continents in the name of an ultra-fanatic version of Islam that horrified mainstream Muslims.
'The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, panic and dread, terrified of the American forces coming down on him,' Trump said.
'He reached the end of the tunnel as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and his three children. His body was mutilated by the blasts. The tunnel had caved on him,' Trump added.
'He died ... whimpering and crying and screaming.'
This is the second time in as many days that Russia has criticized the United States over its actions in Syria.
Russia's defense ministry on Saturday attacked U.S. plans to maintain and boost the American military presence in eastern Syria as 'international state banditry' motivated by a desire to protect oil smugglers and not by real security concerns.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday Washington would send armored vehicles and troops to the Syrian oil fields in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of Islamic State militants.
His comments came after Trump earlier this month pulled some 1,000 U.S. military personnel out of northeast Syria, a move that prompted Turkey to launch a cross-border incursion targeting the Kurdish YPG militia, a former U.S. ally against Islamic State.
Trump's decision drew an angry backlash from Congress, including key Republicans who saw the pullout as a betrayal of the Kurds and a move that could bolster Islamic State.
In a statement, Russia's defense ministry said Washington had no mandate under international or U.S. law to increase its military presence in Syria and said its plan was not motivated by genuine security concerns in the region.
'Therefore Washington's current actions - capturing and maintaining military control over oil fields in eastern Syria - is, simply put, international state banditry,' it said.
U.S. troops and private security companies in eastern Syria are protecting oil smugglers who make more than $30million a month, the statement said.
Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar Assad and has helped him turn the tide of a bloody civil war, has long insisted that the U.S. military presence in Syria is illegal.
Moscow has further bolstered its position in Syria following the U.S. withdrawal from the northeast of the country, negotiating a deal this week with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan to help remove the Kurdish YPG militia from within a 19-mile strip along the Syrian-Turkish border.
Ankara views the YPG as terrorists linked to Kurdish insurgents operating in southeast Turkey.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
