HELPING
OR BUT.
>> WELL WELL SAID MEGAN I'M
MEGAN PRESSER LIVE FOR US ON
CAPITOL HILL A MUCH MORE FROM
HER AND THAT TEAM IN DC A
LITTLE BIT
LATER ON. BUT AS WE'VE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT HERE ALL MORNING
AND ALL DAY PRESIDENT TRUMP
ANNOUNCED THE DEATH OF THE
WORLD'S MOST WANTED TERRORIST.
ABUBAKAR ALIBI GOTTI ON SUNDAY
DECLARING THAT A NIGHTTIME RAID
ON THE ISLAMIC STATE, HERE'S
COMPOUND HAD BEEN A SUCCESSFUL
GREGG CARLSTROM IS MIDDLE EAST
CORRESPONDENT FOR THE ECONOMIST
AND JOINS US NOW GREG GREAT TO
HAVE YOU THANKS FOR STAYING UP
LATE WITH US. THIS EVENING.
IT, LET'S START WITH WE'RE A
MEDIA REACTION IT TO THE DEATH
AND HOW IT WAS ANNOUNCED AS
WELL.
>> WELL I THINK THE
DEATH AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME
AS A SURPRISE NO ONE EXPECTED
THIS RATE TO HAPPENED WHEN IT
DID NO ONE WAS EVEN AWARE THE
US WAS TRACKING A BUT THAT IS
CERTAINLY NOT THAT
HE WAS IN THAT PROVINCE FAR
FROM WHERE ISLAMIC STATE USED
TO HAVE
ITS CALIPHATE THE PRESIDENT
YESTERDAY IN HIS PRESS
CONFERENCE RELEASED A
SURPRISING AMOUNT OF
OPERATIONAL DETAIL ABOUT HOW
THIS HAPPENED AT A HELICOPTER.
THE RAID THE CHASE INTO THE
TUNNEL BUT STILL A LOT OF
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
EXACT THE WHERE INTELLIGENCE
CAME FROM AN AND PARTICULARLY
WHAT I HE WAS IN A
PLACE THAT TRADITIONALLY HAS
BEEN QUITE HOSTILE TO ISLAMIC
STATE.
>> IMPLICATIONS FOR THE
PRESIDENT OFFERING UP THESE
OPERATIONAL DETAILS ARE THERE
ANY RISKS AND BEING SO
TRANSPARENT.
>> SO FAR I DON'T THINK ANY
OF IT IS RISKY HIM IN HIS
REVEAL DETAILS CERTAINLY MORE
THAN SAY PRESIDENT OBAMA DID IN
2011 THE RAID
THAT KILLED OSAMA BIN LADEN AND
SO TRUMP YESTERDAY CAME OUT AND
TOLD THINGS LIKE A HELICOPTER
RIGHT AND TOOK 70 MINUTES WHICH
HOPES TO NARROW DOWN WHERE THIS
RAID ORIGINATED FROM BUT IT'S
SOMETHING THAT'S MORE OF
INTEREST TO PEOPLE FOLLOWING IT
AND NOT SO MUCH A RISK OR A
CONCERN.
>> I GUESS THE QUESTION COMES
UP BECAUSE PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
ALWAYS PRIDED HIMSELF ON ON
SECRECY AROUND MILITARY
OPERATION SAYING THAT WHY WOULD
BE
THEY EVEN A LITTLE BIT AND LET
YOU KNOW OUR ENEMIES KNOW WHAT
WHAT'S HAPPENING SO IS IT A
CHANGE OF OF METHODOLOGY DO YOU
THINK FOR THE PRESIDENT.
>> WELL I THINK DOING IT AFTER
THE FACT ISN'T A CHANGE IN
METHODOLOGY ON HIS PART I'VE
GOT THE FEELING WATCHING THIS
PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY THAT
HE WAS EAGER TO GLOAT ABOUT
THIS AND THAT HE WAS ALMOST
ALL. I MEAN HE SEEMED MORE THAN
ANYTHING TO BE STRUCK BY THE
FACT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO WATCH
VIDEO OF THE RAID HAPPENING IN
REAL TIME AND SO I THINK THAT
HIM TALKING ABOUT IT AFTER THE
FACT THAT WAS IN TRYING TO MAKE
POINTS.
>> US KILLING THE HEAD OR A
LEADER OF A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION HOW MUCH DOES THAT
DO TO ACTUALLY SLOW THAT
ORGANIZATION OR EVEN STOP
IMPENDING ATTACK MAX WHAT IT
WHAT ARE THE LARGER
IMPLICATIONS HERE ABOUT THAT.
>> THIS IS ALWAYS THE DEBATE
AFTER THESE SORTS OF LEADERS
ARE KILLED WITH A SIGNIFICANT
ENOUGH THAT THEIR DEATH MATCH
THERE IS OR CAN THEY BE EASILY
REPLACED AND I THINK IN THE
CASE OF AND THAT HE HONESTLY
IT'S A BIT OF BOTH HE WAS
SIGNIFICANT. IN THE SCALE OF
HIS ASPIRATION. LET'S SAY HE
WAS SAID SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO
ESTABLISH A TERRITORIAL
CALIPHATE A PHYSICAL ENTITY,
SOMETHING THAT EVEN OSAMA BIN
LADEN THOUGHT
WAS A PREMATURE IDEA THAT WAS A
BAD IDEA AND BY DOING THAT
THAT HE WAS ABLE TO GAIN
INFLUENCE VERY QUICKLY TO
ATTRACT 10'S OF THOUSANDS OF
FOLLOWERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
TO COME AND JOIN
THIS GROUP AND SO IN THAT
SENSE. HE WAS QUITE SIGNIFICANT
ON THE OTHER HAND HIS DEATH
COMES AT A TIME WHEN THE GROUP
HAS ALREADY LOST MUCH OF ITS
TERRITORY HAS MORPHED BACK INTO
BEING SORT OF A LOW LEVEL
INSURGENCY IT CARRIES OUT LOCAL
TAX AND IT STARTS
CIVILIANS, NOT ONLY IN SYRIA
AND IRAQ BUT THE WITH
FRANCHISES ELSEWHERE AROUND
THE WORLD. AND SO THE GROUP HAS
BECOME MORE DECENTRALIZED AT
THIS POINT THAT I THINK LESS
RELIANT ON ITS LEADER THAN IT
WOULD HAVE BEEN SAFE FOR A
5 YEARS AGO.
>> SO ON THAT NOTE HERE BECAUSE
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY SAID IN A STATEMENT
TODAY THAT IT IS
QUOTE OPERATING AT A HEIGHTENED
STATE OF VIGILANCE ARE WE GOING
TO BE ABLE TO
ACCURATELY ANDERSON AND ANY
POTENTIAL RISK OF ANY BACKLASH
GIVEN THAT THESE GROUPS ARE NOW
SO MUCH MORE DECENTRALIZED.
>> THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE
DIFFICULT THING WITH THIS GROUP
WITH OTHER GROUPS LIKE
ISLAMIC STATE HAD TERRITORY HAD
A PHYSICAL ENTITY, BUT IT WAS
ALSO AN IDEOLOGY THAT AGAIN
ATTRACTED 10'S OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD
AND THE ATTACKS THAT WE SAW SAY
IN PARIS ARE GERMANY TURKEY IN
OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
THESE WERE CARRIED OUT BY
PEOPLE WITH THE IN MANY CASES
VERY TENUOUS LINKS
TO THE CENTRAL ORGANIZATION IN
SYRIA AND IRAQ AND SO WHENEVER
YOU'RE DEALING WITH THIS SORT
OF AN IDEOLOGY. HE'S A THAT
PEOPLE CAN PICK UP THE INTERNET
VIA SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
IT'S A IT'S IT'S OFTEN VERY
HARD TO HAVE ACCURATE
INTELLIGENCE AND WHO EXACTLY
HAS BEEN WON OVER
BY IT.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES TO
CLAIM THAT HE HAS THINGS UNDER
CONTROL IN THE MIDDLE EAST YOU
THINK HE DOES.
>> I DON'T THINK ANYONE HAS
THINGS CONTROL UNDER CONTROL IN
THE MIDDLE EAST TO THIS POINT
ON A STATE, BUT I THINK YOU
LOOK AT THIS RAID, YOU LOOK AT
WHAT HAPPENED JUST 2 WEEKS 3
WEEKS PRIOR TO IT THE AMERICAN
DECISION TO
WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM NORTHEAST,
SYRIA WHICH CREATED A VACUUM
THAT TURKEY AND RUSSIA VERY
QUICKLY RUSHED INTO THE SYRIAN
REGIME. QUICKLY RUSHED INTO THE
SITUATION IN SYRIA IN SPITE OF
THAT IS THAT HAS IN MANY WAYS
GOT MESSIER
THAN IT WAS JUST A FEW SHORT
WEEKS AGO AND THIS RAID, THIS
TO KILL ABOUT IT THAT IT WAS
SOMETHING THAT RELIED ON
SUPPORT FROM AMERICAN PARTNERS
THE SYRIAN KURDS THE IRAQI
GOVERNMENT. AND SO I THINK THAT
IT UNDERSCORES THE NEED FOR
SORT OF DIPLOMACY AND
INVOLVEMENT IN THE REGION, THE
VERY THINGS THAT TRUMP IS QUITE