We were searching for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for three years: US President

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that Washington had been looking for Islamic State (IS) chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for three years and had only started getting positive feedback a month ago.

He also revealed that the US officials told the Russians about the operation, without divulging the main information because they had to travel through the airspace where Moscow had heavy firepower.

"We know the Russians hate the IS as much as we do," he added.

On being asked that whether he informed the US Congress about the mission, he said, "I did not inform Washington because there is no country that leaks as we do."

"There was a very small group of people that knew about the operation, a leak could have cost the death of all the US soldiers," he said.

Trump said that he witnessed the operation along with Vice President Mike Pence, Defence Secretary Mark Esper, few joint chiefs and some Generals.

"We were watching the operation as though we were watching a movie," he added.

Trump also added that he got minute by minute update of the operations in which scores of IS terrorists were killed and not one US soldier was harmed except a K-9 dog who was injured during the operation.

"Many of IS terrorist was killed, we'll announce the exact figure in the next 24 hours," he added.

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.