WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“The death of al-Baghdadi is a significant blow to ISIS and a victory for the brave service members that carried out the operation, all those that enabled it, and the international coalition to defeat ISIS.

“However, we must not mistake al-Baghdadi’s death for the defeat of ISIS.  The resurgence of ISIS remains a major threat particularly in light of the President’s unstable non-policy in Syria.  Subcontracting out our Middle East policy to Russia and Iran is no substitute for American leadership. We must redouble our efforts with our international partners to secure and stabilize areas formerly under ISIS control.”