The head of Daesh, the outlawed terror group also known as ISIS/ISIL, has reportedly been killed; US troops targeted the spiritual leader in a special operations raid. Little is known about arguably the most feared terrorist leader since Osama bin Laden, who was reported dead or injured in different operations as often as the late al-Qaeda chief.
ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi dead, killed in US raid in Idlib, according to senior US military source. Baghdadi’s identity has been confirmed. “We long suspected Baghdadi was hiding in Idlib,” US source said. 50-70 American military service members involved in the raid- pulled from US Army Delta Force and Rangers. About 6 helicopters involved in raid. “It was a partnered mission,” US official source tells me. Baghdadi was killed when he detonated suicide vest.
Biometrics (facial recognition) immediately identified Baghdadi- in suicide bombing head removed intact. DNA also used – typically takes a day for DNA results. US forces launched from Erbil, Iraq. There had been reports of sightings of Baghdadi in Idlib for some time,US official.
Who is Mr. Baghdadi?
The scarce details of al-Baghdadi’s biography mostly come from jihadist websites and statements.
According to a jihadist biography penned by an unidentified author and dated 2013, his full given name was “Ibrahim bin Awwad bin Ibrahim al-Badri al-Radhwi al-Husseini al-Samarrai” (Al-Baghdadi simply means “from Baghdad” in Arabic).
It is understood that he was born in 1971 in Samarra, Iraq (over 100km north of Baghdad) and went to the Islamic University in Baghdad, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies.
