The Islamic State terrorist militia has lost all of its territory in Iraq and Syria. But her enigmatic leader Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi is probably still on the run – if he’s still alive. The US has exposed him to a bounty of $ 22 million, making him the most wanted man in the world.
In recent years, it has repeatedly been said that Al-Bagdadi is dead. However, this has been refuted by audio recordings. Where he is is unknown. In public, Al-Bagdadi appeared only once, in 2014. Since then, many of his closest circle have been killed, mainly by air strikes by the US-led military coalition.
Over the past two years, its IS fighters have lost more and more territory, and the „caliphate“ that was once called Syria and Iraq shrank into a tent camp on the Euphrates River with underground tunnel systems near the village of Baghus. The Syrian Democratic Forces, led by Kurds, completely captured Baghus on Saturday – they declared the IS defeated.
Bagdadi would be a trophy for the Americans
In Syria and Iraq, a capture of Al-Baghdadi would be like a trophy. The Americans, Russians, Syrians, Iraqis and Kurds he went so far but equally through the net.
In the battles surrounding Baghus, the SDF considered it possible to seize Al-Bagdadi in the area bordering Iraq – consisting of villages and farmland. Hundreds of IS leaders and fighters stayed until the end and did not want to give up. Although there were more than 30,000 people, mostly IS families, there was still no trace of Al-Bagdadi.
