Did Russia Kill al-Baghdadi?

>>> MAJOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS THIS
MORNING, RUSSIA CLAIMING IT MAY
HAVE KILLED ONE OF THE MOST
WANTED TERRORISTS IN THE WORLD,
THE LEADER OF ISIS, ABU BAKR AL
BAGHDADI.
THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY
SAYS THAT ITS INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTS BAGHDADI WAS AMONG THOSE
KILLED AT A COMMAND POST IN
SYRIA.
THE U.S. CANNOT CONFIRM THE
REPORTS AND THERE IS QUITE A BIT
OF SKEPTICISM AMONG EXPERTS
ABOUT THESE CLAIMS.
BUT THIS HOUR, U.S. OFFICIALS
HAVE CONFIRMED THAT RUSSIA
CONDUCTED STRIKES ON THE DAY,
THEY SAY, BAGHDADI MAY HAVE BEEN
KILLED.
THIS MORNING THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE
MINISTRY RELEASED IMAGES
CLAIMING THE AFTERMATH OF THE
STRIKE IN RAQQAH.
A BIT OF CONTEXT FOR BARBARA
STARR -- RUSSIA ATTEMPTS TO USE
GUIDED WEAPONS AND THESE
PICTURES APPEAR TO SHOW A VERY
PRECISE AIR STRIKE.
ALL OF THAT IN CONTEXT, LET ME
BRING IN PEOPLE TO TALK MORE
ABOUT THIS.
GENERAL STANLEY McCHRYSTAL IS
FORMER COMMANDER OF ALL U.S. AND
INTERNATIONAL FORCES IN
AFGHANISTAN AND A SENIOR FELLOW
WITH YALE UNIVERSITY.
CHRIS RUSSELL IS HERE, FORMER
NAVY S.E.A.L. OFFICER WHO SERVED
ALONGSIDE GENERAL McCHRYSTAL AS
MANAGING PARTNER.
AND AUTHOR OF "ONE MISSION: HOW
LEADERS BUILD A TEAM OF TEAMS"
AND GENERAL McCHRYSTAL WAS KIND
ENOUGH TO WRITE THE FORWARD.
I WAS NOT INVITED TO WRITE THE
FORWARD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN.
I WANT TO GET TO THE BOOK IN
JUST ONE SECOND.
ON THE NEWS OF THE DAY, ON THE
CLAIMS FROM RUSSIA THAT THEY SAY
THEY MAY HAVE TAKEN OUT AL
BAGHDADI, THERE'S CLEARLY A LOT
OF SKEPTICISM, GENERAL.
DO YOU BELIEVE THE RUSSIANS ON
THIS?
>> WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S
TRUE.
IT ALMOST DOESN'T MATTER.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE OUT A
LEADER LIKE AL BAGHDADI, BUT
IT'S NOT SUFFICIENT.
IT WON'T CHANGE ISIS
DEMONSTRABLY.
ISIS IS AN IDEA THAT'S
FRANCHISED ITSELF, AND SO IT'S A
LITTLE BIT SELF-DECEPTION FOR
ANY OF US TO SUDDENLY CELEBRATE
AND SAY, OKAY, NOW THE PROBLEM
WILL GO AWAY.
>> BUT STILL A SIGNIFICANT
SYMBOLIC VICTORY, CHRIS?
>> I BELIEVE SO.
CONTINUING TO PURSUE THE
LEADERSHIP INSIDE THESE NETWORKS
IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE CRITICAL,
BUT I THINK TO STAN'S POINT, IF
YOU HANG YOUR HAT JUST ON TAKING
OUT THE LEADERSHIP, IN A
NETWORK, THAT DOESN'T REALLY
WORK BECAUSE THERE IS NO
TOP-DOWN LEADERSHIP.
THEY'RE ALL INTEGRATED, SO YOU
HAVE TO CONTINUE TO KEEP
PRESSURE ON THE ENTIRE NETWORK.
>> THAT'S KIND OF THE POINT THAT
ISIS WANTED ALL ALONG, THE
DECENTRALIZED STRUCTURE.
ANOTHER BIT OF NEWS IS THAT IN
AFGHANISTAN, WE KNOW NOW THAT
THE PRESIDENT HAS GIVEN OVER
AUTHORITY ON TROOP NUMBERS OVER
TO THE PENTAGON, OVER TO GENERAL
MATTIS.
AND THE "ASSOCIATED PRESS" TODAY
IS REPORTING THAT THEY ARE
LIKELY TO BE ADDING AN
ADDITIONAL 4,000 TROOPS THERE.
THAT ENOUGH TO TURN THE TIDE,
CHRIS?
>> WELL, IT'S HARD TO SAY FROM
THIS OPTIC.
I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS
ALLOWING THOSE ON THE GROUND TO
ALLOW THE CLEARANCE DATE THEY
ARE TO ACHIEVE.
NUMBERS ARE ARBITRARY IF YOU
DON'T HAVE THAT END STATE IN
MIND.
>> DO WE HAVE IT NOW?
DO WE HAVE -- IS IT CLEAR THE
MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN NOW, SO
MANY YEARS IN?
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S CLEAR
THE AFGHANISTAN -- THE PEOPLE OF
AFGHANISTAN RIGHT NOW, AND
THAT'S THE MOST CRITICAL PART OF
AN INSURGENCY.
SO, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE'RE HAVING THAT DIRECT
DIALOGUE WITH THE LOCAL
POPULATIONS.
>> WHAT'S YOUR VIEW IN GENERAL
OF THE PRESIDENT GIVING OVER THE
RESPONSIBILITY ON TROOP
MOVEMENTS TO GENERAL MATTIS,
ADDITIONAL TROOP NUMBERS?
IS THAT HIS RESPONSIBILITY?
>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT HE
GIVE TROOP NUMBER RESPONSIBILITY
TO SECRETARY MATTIS --
>> YOU DO?
>> BUT NOT THE DECISION, BECAUSE
TO PUT MORE TROOPS IN AFTER A
LONG PERIOD OF DECREASING IS A
POLICY CHANGE FOR AMERICA.
IT IS DECIDING WE ARE GOING TO
PUSH THE CLOCK FURTHER, WE'RE
GOING TO STAY INVOLVED LONGER,
WE ARE GOING TO ENGAGE THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE AFGHAN
PEOPLE.
THAT'S A PRESIDENTIAL-LEVEL
DECISION THAT HE HAS TO OWN.
>> ON THE BOOK, "ONE MISSION,"
HOW CAN YOU APPLY WHAT'S LEARNED
ON THE BATTLEFIELD TO ANOTHER
INDUSTRY, ANOTHER FIELD?
EVERY ORGANIZATION IS DIFFERENT.
HOW WHAT YOU LEARN ON THE
BATTLEFIELD CAN THAT APPLY TO
CNN OR RUNNING THE COUNTRY EVEN?
>> WELL, EVERY ORGANIZATION IS
DIFFERENT.
EVERY SPACE IS DIFFERENT.
BUT WE'RE ALL WRESTLING WITH ONE
SIMILAR ISSUE NOW, WHICH IS THE
INFORMATION AGE.
WE'RE ALL CONNECTED IN A WAY,
AND WE CAN MOVE INFORMATION AND
IDEAS AT A SPEED THAT WOULD HAVE
BEEN INCOMPREHENSIBLE 20 YEARS
AGO.
WE EXPERIENCED THIS IN THE EARLY
DAYS OF THE FIGHTING, POST 2001,
AS THE UNCERTAINTY IN IRAQ
STARTED TO GROW AND WE REALIZED
THIS IS A CONNECTED NETWORK OF
INDIVIDUAL ACTORS THAT CAN MOVE
AT LIGHT SPEED.
SO, UNDER GENERAL McCHRYSTAL'S
LEADERSHIP, THEY CHANGED THE WAY
THE ORGANIZATION WAS RUN AS A
GLOBALLY DISTRIBUTED NETWORK TO
MATCH THAT SPEED.
SOME VERSION OF THAT IS PLAYING
OUT IN EVERY INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW
SO THE BIG STRUCTURES COULD AND
SHOULD REMAIN IN PLACE, BUT YOU
HAVE TO BE COMFORTABLE AS A
LEADER INTEGRATING THE IDEAS
THAT ALLOW NETWORKS TO GROW SO
QUICKLY.
>> AND GENERAL, YOU'VE WRITTEN
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
EMPOWERING EVERYONE IN AN
ORGANIZATION, RIGHT, BUT THIS IS
ABOUT LEADERSHIP.
CAN YOU GIVE ME YOUR HONEST
ASSESSMENT OF THE LEADERSHIP OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, I'M NOT UP CLOSE TO IT,
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT
WE BUILD A TEAM.
AND RIGHT NOW WHAT WE SEE IS A
FAIR AMOUNT OF DYSFUNCTION, NOT
ONLY IN THE ADMINISTRATION, BUT
THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
IF WE DON'T GET THE PIECES
CONNECTING, IT'S GOING TO BE
HARD TO HAVE COMPETENT
LEADERSHIP.
>> YOU CLEARLY BOTH WORK VERY
WELL ON THE BATTLEFIELD
TOGETHER, BUT I WAS SITTING HERE
THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK AND
THINKING ABOUT TALKING YOU
TODAY.
HOW IS THE RELATIONSHIP
DIFFERENT, CHRIS, GETTING ACROSS
THE BATTLEFIELD THAN SITTING
ACROSS THE TABLE WITH THE
GENERAL AND TRYING TO WRITE A
BOOK TOGETHER?
HOW DID THAT FEEL?
>> WELL, IT'S NEAT.
WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR TEN
YEARS.
WHEN WE FIRST MET, I WAS
PROBABLY SIX LAYERS DOWN IN THE
MILITARY STRUCTURE, BUT GENERAL
McCHRYSTAL AT THAT TIME WAS A
SOLDIER'S LEADER AND HE WAS PART
OF THE TASK FORCE, SO EVERYONE
DEVELOPED CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS.
OURS HAS DEEPENED OVER THE
YEARS, OBVIOUSLY.
I STILL HAVE A HARD TIME NOT
SAYING SIR, BUT YOU GET OVER
THAT.
WE TEACH TOGETHER AND SPEND TIME
TOGETHER IN THE McCHRYSTAL
GROUP, SO EVENTUALLY HAVE BECOME
MORE FRIENDS THAN

Did Russia Kill al-Baghdadi?

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