President Donald Trump on Sunday said that Islamic State (IS) chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "died like a dog, died like a coward" in operation conducted by the US special forces in Syrian province of Idlib.
Speaking at a press conference, Trump confirmed the death of the IS chief saying that "al-Baghdadi died inside a tunnel with three of his children, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way."
President Trump said the DNA tests proved it was al-Baghdadi.
Trump also thanked many countries including Russia and Turkey for their indirect co-operation in intelligence that helped the military operation leading to the elimination of the Daesh (IS) chief.
"We knew we were travelling in dangerous territory, going in and going out was not easy" he added.
The US President further said that from his first day at the White House, he wanted to get hold of Baghdadi.
Earlier in the day, President Trump without divulging details had tweeted that "something very big has just happened."
Following the tweet, the White House had announced that Trump is scheduled to make a major announcement on Sunday at 9 am (local time).
US Special Operation Commandos on Saturday carried out a risky raid in northwestern Syria against Baghdadi's hideouts in the Idlib province.
US defence officials on Sunday said that final confirmation regarding the death of IS terrorist would come only after the DNA and biometric tests are conducted.
Baghdadi, the most notorious IS leader, had been in hiding for the last five years.
He last appeared in 2014 during a sermon at the Great Mosque in Mosul.
The United States had earlier announced a reward of USD 25 million for information leading to Baghdadi's death or arrest.
( With inputs from ANI )