a b Engel, Richard; Arkin, Daniel (October 28, 2019). "Kurdish informant provided key intel in operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019 . Retrieved October 28, 2019. a b Pamuk, Humeyra; Osborn, Andrew (October 28, 2019). "Trump says U.S. may release parts of Baghdadi raid video". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019 . Retrieved October 28, 2019. Iran – Iran stated that Baghdadi's death was not significant and that the actions of the United States are responsible for the rise of ISIL. Iran said that the killing of Baghdadi did not mean the group's end, as sectarianism and terrorism still very much exist and are being exploited by countries like the U.S. [88] The New York Times reported that unnamed U.S. intelligence, military, and counter-terrorism officials said that the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. forces from northern Syria by President Donald Trump had complicated the plans for the operation against Baghdadi, but the Syrian Kurds continued to provide information to the CIA amidst the Turkish offensive. [12] One of the officials remarked that both the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds had provided more intelligence for the raid than any single country. [12] President Erdogan says Turkey captured al-Baghdadi's wife". Al Jazeera. November 7, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019 . Retrieved November 7, 2019.

Iraqi officials also stated that the arrest of Muhammad Ali Sajid al-Zobaie, Baghdadi's brother-in-law, helped them in finding a desert tunnel leading to two hideouts, filled with items, near Al-Qaim, Iraq, and thereby penetrate a smuggling ring to find Baghdadi. [13] A U.S. official disputed the Iraqi account that Iraq had provided the exact location of Baghdadi, and stated that the operation was triggered when he appeared in a location where they already had established intelligence collection. [14] Location [ edit ]

On 8 February 2015, after Jordan had conducted 56 airstrikes which reportedly killed 7,000 IS militants from 5–7 February, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was said to have fled from Raqqa to Mosul out of fear for his life. [108] [109] However, after a Peshmerga source informed the US-led Coalition that al-Baghdadi was in Mosul, Coalition warplanes continuously bombed the locations where IS leaders were known to meet for 2 hours. [109] Sex slavery [ edit ] Will McCants says that he "successfully" defended his Ph.D. thesis in 2007, "despite the weight of his new responsibilities" as a militant, his work consisting in editing a medieval manuscript, Ruḥ al-murid fi sharḥ al-'iqd al-farid fi nuzum at-tajrid by Muhammad al-Samarqandi (who died in 1378 in Baghdad), an Arabic poem on the recitation of the Qur'an (or tajwid), for which he was awarded a grade of "very good". [53] Character [ edit ] Abdulkhalek, Hesham; Laessing, Ulf; Saba, Yousef (October 31, 2019). "Islamic State confirms Baghdadi is dead, appoints successor". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019 . Retrieved October 31, 2019. a b c d "The Latest: UN chief says remember victims of terrorism". ABC News. October 28, 2019. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020 . Retrieved June 30, 2020. According to several sources, Sujidah (sometimes referred to as "Saja" [228]) al-Dulaimi was the wife of al-Baghdadi. [229] It was reported the couple had allegedly met and fallen in love online. [229] Sujidah al-Dulaimi was arrested in Syria in late 2013 or early 2014, and was released from a Syrian jail in March 2014 as part of a prisoner swap involving 150 women, in exchange for 13 nuns taken captive by al-Qaeda-linked militants. Also released in March were her two sons and her younger brother. [230] The Iraqi Interior Ministry has said, "There is no wife named Saja al-Dulaimi." [220]

June 2017: Russian politician Viktor Ozerov stated that al-Baghdadi's death was almost "100% certain". [167] Iran later claimed to confirm Russia's claim that Al-Baghdadi was killed in an airstrike. [168] On 27 October 2019, when it was said al-Baghdadi died, it was reported that two of Baghdadi's wives were also killed, wearing suicide vests that had not detonated. [221] [222] This was confirmed by United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. [223] News of the death of Baghdadi was ignored by official ISIL channels for days and the group did not immediately confirm his death. Many ISIL supporters refused to believe he was dead, while some others accepted it. [76] Supporters of ISIL's rival jihadist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and al-Qaeda praised his death because of his group's noted record for cruelty. Salafi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini celebrated Baghdadi's demise and called on ISIL members to defect. The activity of jihadist supporters in general temporarily decreased online as well. [77] Pamuk, Humeyra (November 4, 2019). "Turkey captures sister of dead IS leader in Syria: Turkish officials". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019 . Retrieved November 6, 2019.

Even before Bin Laden’s death, Zawahiri had established links with groups in Algeria, Mali, Libya, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Egyptian Sinai around 2006, and with al-Shabaab in Somalia in 2008. In 2009, Zawahiri approved the merger of Saudi and Yemeni militants into Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP, which proved to be the most loyal and effective of franchises. By this stage, US intelligence called Zawahiri al-Qaida’s strategic commander, relegating Bin Laden to ideological figurehead. Hamid, Shadi (1 November 2016). "What a caliphate really is—and how the Islamic State is not one". Brookings. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020 . Retrieved 5 February 2020. Abu Ahmed al-Samarrai: The Head of the Khalidiya Council in Al Anbar Governorate reported in February 2016: "Today, Iraqi Air Force conducted an airstrike on the so-called IS sharia court in Albu Bali area in Khalidiya Island east of Ramadi. The strike resulted in the death of Abu Ahmed al-Samarrai, the nephew of the IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, along with eight of his companions, as well as Adel al-Bilawi, the Military Commander of Albu Bali area." [254] Besides the two children killed by Baghdadi's suicide detonation, the U.S. military initially reported no civilian casualties during the operation.

a b c Chulov, Martin (October 29, 2019). "Nowhere left to run: how the US finally caught up with Isis leader Baghdadi". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019 . Retrieved October 29, 2019. a b Estrin, Daniel (October 27, 2020). "Pentagon Says 2 Men Killed In Baghdadi Raid Were Combatants But Offers Little Evidence". NPR . Retrieved March 9, 2020.

The Prisoner

a b Gardner, Frank (29 October 2019). "Baghdadi death: What now for IS?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019 . Retrieved 4 November 2019. The fact that Baghdadi was a serial rapist, forcing himself on, among others, the captured American aid worker Kayla Mueller, and presiding over the mass enslavement of Yazidi women and underage girls, does not seem to have troubled his followers at all.

How the world reacted to the death of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi". Economic Times. October 28, 2019. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020 . Retrieved June 30, 2020.Neikirk, Todd (October 29, 2019). "General Milley: I Don't Know Where Trump got "Whimpering and Crying" Story From". Hill Reporter. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019 . Retrieved November 2, 2019.