Oct. 27, 2019

He had been hunted for more than a decade, and the organization he had built was designed partly on the assumption this day would come.

The violent death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, in a raid by United States forces announced Sunday by President Trump, is a significant blow to the world’s most fearsome terrorist group. But analysts said it was unlikely to freeze attempts by Islamic State franchises and sympathizers around the world to sow mayhem and fear in the name of their extremist ideology.

Under Mr. al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State largely ran on its own. While he demanded fealty and built a cult of personality around himself — followers considered him the leader of Muslims worldwide — he was obsessed with security and is known to have given subordinates considerable latitude to act autonomously. Numerous references in Islamic State propaganda offer reminders that its leaders may come and go, but the movement remains.

After all, the founder of the Islamic State and two successors were killed before Mr. al-Baghdadi became its leader and vastly expanded the group’s sway in the Middle East and beyond.