Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ
A mugshot photo of Baghdadi detained at Camp Bucca, Iraq, 2004
1st Caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
In office
7 April 2013 – 26 October 2019
Preceded byHimself (as Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq)
Succeeded byAbu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
2nd Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq
In office
18 April 2010 – 7 April 2013
Preceded byAbu Omar al-Baghdadi
Succeeded byHimself (as Caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)
Personal details
Born
Ibrahim Awwad

(1971-07-28)28 July 1971[1]
Samarra, Iraq[2][3]
Died26 October 2019(2019-10-26) (aged 48)
Barisha, Syria
Cause of deathSuicide bombing
NationalityIraqi
Childrenson Hudhayfah al-Badri daughter Hagar daughter Umaima al-Baghdadi
ReligionSunni Islam[4][5]
Nickname(s)
  • Abu Du'a[6]
  • "The Invisible Sheikh"[7]
  • "The Ghost"[8]
Allegiance Jamaat Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamaah
(2003–2006)
Al-Qaeda
(2006–2013)  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(April 2013 – October 2019)
Years of service2003–2019
RankCaliph
Battles/warsWar on Terror

Ibrahim Awwad (Arabic: إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَوَّادٍ), known by his pseudonym Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Arabic: أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ; 28 July 1971[1] – 26 October 2019) was an Iraqi terrorist and politician. He was leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from 2013 to 2019. His followers in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) call him their caliph.[9] On 4 October 2011, the US State Department listed al-Baghdadi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and announced a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to his capture or death.[10] His father was Awwad Ibrahim, a religious cleric. The family belonged to al-Badri tribe.

On 11 July 2017, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was quoted by Reuters and AFP as saying that it had "confirmed information" that al-Baghdadi has been killed by a Russian airstrike in Syria sometime in June 2017 at the either age of 45.[11]

However, on 28 September 2017, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant released a 46-minute audio recording of al-Baghdadi in which he refers to events that had happened since the death rumors, including North Korean threats against Japan and United States and the recapture of Mosul by U.S. backed Iraqi forces in July.[12][13][14]

On 26 October 2019, Baghdadi killed himself by detonating a bomb on his chest during a United States special operations raid in Syria's northwestern Idlib province in a village called Barisha. This is confirmed by US President Donald Trump at 9am EST (1300 GMT).[15][16][17]

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi replaced him as the leader of ISIS.[18]

Personal life

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had several wives, including Asma Fawzi Muhammad al-Dulaimi, Israu Rajab Mahal al-Qaisi, Sujida al-Dulaimi (also known as "Saja") and, according to various media reports, German teenager Diane Kruger. He had children from these marriages, including a son named Huzaifa al-Badri, who was killed in action in 2018. During the Barisha raid, two or three of his children died along with him. In addition, al-Baghdadi had siblings, including Rasmia Awad, who was detained by Turkish authorities, and Juma, who acted as a courier for him. Other relatives such as Duaa Amid Ibrahim and Abu Ahmed al-Samarrai were also involved or associated with his activities.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's three daughters. One of his daughters, Umaima al-Baghdadi, was married to ISIS leader Abu Nuradin Rustamov, who was killed by a US F-16 fighter-bomber in 2016.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Warrick, Joby (27 October 2019). "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, extremist leader of Islamic State, dies at 48". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee adds Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai to its Sanctions List" (Press release). United Nations Security Council, SC/10405. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Wanted: Information that brings to justice… Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi" (Press release). Rewards for Justice Program. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "Profile: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi". BBC. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "The many names of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi". Al Monitor. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Rewards for Justice – Information that brings to justice... Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Up to $25 Million Reward Archived 24 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Crompton, Paul (30 June 2014). "The rise of the new 'caliph,' ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi". Al Arabiya News. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Baghdadi 'The Ghost': world jihad's low-profile boss". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Terrorist Designations of Groups Operating in Syria". United States Department of State. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Terrorist Designation of Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri". United States Department of State. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  11. ↑ "Syrian Observatory says has 'confirmed information' that Islamic State chief killed". Reuters. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  12. ↑ "ISIL posts 'Baghdadi audio' issuing 'resistance' call". Al Jazeera. 28 September 2017.
  13. ↑ Chulov, Martin (28 September 2017). "Isis releases new recording of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi". The Guardian.
  14. ↑ Awadalla, Nadine; Knecht, Eric (28 September 2017). "Islamic State's Baghdadi, in undated audio, urges militants to keep fighting". Reuters.
  15. ↑ "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: US 'conducts operation against IS chief' - US media". BBC News. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  16. ↑ "US targeted ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: US officials". Al Jazeera. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  17. ↑ "Trump confirms ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed". Daily Mail. 27 October 2019.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Designates ISIS Leader As Specially Designated Global Terrorist". Counter Extremism Project. 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2020-05-05.