The US began to receive intelligence on the whereabouts of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi about a month before the 26 October raid, according to Donald Trump. Intelligence officials were able to scope out his exact location – near the village of Barisha in north-west Syria – in mid October.

Moments after a team including the US president gathered in the White House situation room at about 5pm ET (11pm in Syria), eight helicopters – mostly twin-rotor CH-47s – took off from an airbase in northern Iraq.

US officials have not confirmed exactly where the aircraft took off from, but most reports say it was Erbil. The aircraft apparently flew over Turkey and territory controlled by the Russian military.

They reached their intended target, a small compound outside Barisha in Syria’s Idlib province, three miles (5km) south of the Turkish border, about an hour and 10 minutes after takeoff. The on-the-ground operation was supported by military aircraft and ships, Trump said. The operatives – commandos with the Delta Force – brought with them military dogs and a military robot.

Villagers in Barisha said there was shooting from helicopters for 30 minutes before troops became active on the ground. They said the helicopters fired missiles at two houses, flattening one.

Footage released by the Pentagon depicted what it said were Isis fighters who fired at US aircraft, and US operatives approaching the compound.

Believing the main compound door to be booby-trapped, the soldiers entered by blasting through the wall.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest People walk on rubble at the site of the US raid. Photograph: Yahya Nemah/EPA

Baghdadi fled into a network of underground bunkers and tunnels that snaked through the compound, wearing a suicide vest and dragging along two of his children.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A still from footage of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi posted online in April. Photograph: AP

As a military robot crept towards him and a dog was dispatched to subdue him, Baghdadi was confronted by a dead end. He ignited his suicide vest, killing himself and his children and causing the tunnel to collapse, according to Trump.

The dog was injured and retrieved by the commandos. Trump tweeted a photo of the dog – named by US media as Conan – on 28 October:

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi! pic.twitter.com/PDMx9nZWvw

To get to Baghdadi’s remains, troops had to dig through debris. Lab technicians conducted an on-site DNA test and within 15 minutes of his death, they positively identified him.

Trump said US troops remained in the compound for about two hours after Baghdadi’s death and recovered highly sensitive material about Islamic State, including information about its future plans.

After the troops retreated, US fighter jets fired six rockets at the house, levelling it.

Just before 3.30am Syrian time, the fleet of choppers took off for the return journey to Iraq. Baghdadi’s remains were later disposed of at sea.