The C.I.A. worked with Iraqi and Kurdish intelligence officials to more precisely identify Mr. al-Baghdadi’s whereabouts. Our reporters reconstructed a timeline of the operation, which was complicated by the U.S. military’s withdrawal from northern Syria this month.

On Sunday, President Trump gave a vivid account of Mr. al-Baghdadi’s death after a five-year manhunt. “He died like a dog,” Mr. Trump said. “He died like a coward.” Watch his announcement.

Mr. Trump said that Mr. al-Baghdadi had detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and three children who were with him, after being pursued through a tunnel by U.S. military dogs. No Americans were killed in the operation, although two were injured, as was a dog.

Closer look: See the raid site and learn more about the process used to identify Mr. al-Baghdadi’s remains.

Background: Mr. al-Baghdadi, 48, was the world’s most wanted terrorist chieftain, having transformed the Islamic State into a global network.