Islamist terrorist groups Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Taliban - their name is legion. But the most brutal and most dangerous today remains ISIS.
The "Islamic State" does not enter into negotiations even with the same terrorists, hiding behind the banner of the prophet. And does not participate in competitions for the title of the richest organization in the world - no one knows how much money ISIS has. But experts say that the treasures of ISIS are incalculable - these are donations from Islamists from all over the world, and oil smuggling, and trafficking in weapons and people.
The cruelty of jihadists is not even legendary - everything is in the news. Their reports on the mass executions of dissenters, insufficient believers and dissidents appear on the network weekly. Journalists looked at the map of ISIS actions and tried to figure out how this group managed to gather so many Islamists from all over the world under its banners in a very short time, and who its official leader, who calls himself the name of the medieval caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Unlike the past personification of evil, Bin Laden, his current incarnation, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, is not yet widely known. And although the whole world is discussing his recent marriage to a German woman, only one video of him is available on the Internet to this day. He, unlike Bin Laden, does not come from the richest Saudi family, his relatives are not seen in business ties with the White House administration, he did not destroy the "twin towers", and does not hide in impregnable caves in the mountains with the bewitching name of Tora Bora . But he is alive. Meanwhile, while the popularity of Abu Bakr himself is only gaining momentum, the evil that he personifies is already quite real and very hyped.
"This Al-Baghdadi appeared out of nowhere, and it is not clear whether the US is after him or not. Look at what weapons are still falling into the hands of the people of Al-Baghdadi in Iraq to this day. He has English, Israeli weapons, and he no one is attacking. To understand who is behind them, you need to understand who benefits from the actual destruction of nation-states - Syria and Iraq, "says Wayne Madson, a former employee of the US National Security Agency.
The story of how a relatively small militant group of Iraqi Islamists fighting in Syria against Assad under the banner of al-Qaeda turned into a powerful structure with the ambitions of a new Arab caliphate within two years is vague. The person of Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi himself raises no less questions. It turned out that eleven years ago he was kept in an American prison in Iraq, but then he was allegedly released. According to official Pentagon figures, he was kept behind bars for no more than a year. However, the former head of this prison claims that Baghdadi spent five years there and was released only in 2009.
“Some believe that this is sufficient evidence that the Americans worked with him, recruited him, and so on. Based on my observations and analysis of what is happening, I can say that depending on the Americans and on Saudi Arabia, this is all a myth. This myth is spread mainly Iran's propaganda machine, which, so to speak, finds it beneficial to present its opponents as mere hirelings of US imperialism, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and so on, but this contradicts the known facts," Heydar Jemal, chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia, believes.
Released from an American prison, the imperceptible Islamic activist Ibrahim Al-Badri's rapid transformation into the leader of the most brutal Islamist military group was accompanied by another process - the appearance of Saddam Hussein's former senior army officers in the leadership of the organization.
“The fact is that when Saddam’s officers came to power in the ISIS group, they cleared out the former leadership. It’s a difficult question who cleared whom, either the Americans, or these Saddam guys themselves, but, in general, the former leadership of ISIS was destroyed. And the person who, in fact, is behind the creation of the ISIS group, was such a former officer of Saddam, who is known as Haji Bakr, he died in January 2014. But, nevertheless, he managed to create this group, he managed to create ISIS, and he found this Al Baghdadi, he pulled him out of there, elevated him and introduced him to the shura, to the council of commanders, that is, the main control link of the entire group," says political scientist, expert on the Middle East Anatoly Nesmiyan.
Photo taken in Syria when the current caliph was still little known. He's in the second row, to the left of Senator McCain. At that time, some unanimity still reigned in the ranks of the fighters against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. All of them were generously financed by Washington, their armed formations, recognized by the Americans as moderate, trained at military bases in Jordan and Turkey. It is noteworthy that the future Caliph of the bloodthirsty "Islamic State", who had not yet acquired a beard, was then considered quite a handshake some three years ago. Analysts who are inclined to believe that the Americans are still behind the actions of ISIS are convinced: the sharply increased importance of ISIS, the conflict with Al-Qaeda, represented in Syria by the Al-Nusra Front, the replacement of the struggle against Assad with the struggle for influence in the ranks of the opposition and, ultimately, the ISIS summer invasion of Iraq are all the result of serious divisions within the White House and on Capitol Hill.
"The United States has several political goals in this region at once. One of the most significant is the reshuffling of forces in the Middle East. This is carried out through massacre, and not by the forces of the United States, but in this case, by the forces of the non-governmental army of the Islamic caliph ISIS. But there is another the political line of a certain group led by Senator McCain.This group seeks, first of all, the overthrow of the Assad regime.Senator McCain is not only a US senator and head of the opposition, but also a high-level functionary in the US government.Therefore, it is very difficult to reliably establish who reports to whom there in this case. The conflict between these two directions is not a conflict of interests, but a conflict of priorities. Either rebuild the entire Middle East first, or still overthrow Assad. The existence of these two political strategies is obvious, "says French political scientist and orientalist Thierry Meyssan.
It must be admitted that there are indeed many oddities associated with ISIS. Saudi Arabia, whose representatives once provided covert support to this formation, is now forced to strengthen its border in this direction, fearing, not without reason, an imminent attack. It is known that relations between Riyadh and Washington have been far from ideal lately. In addition, since the triumphant entry of Caliph Al Baghdadi's forces into Iraq, the United States and Iran, at least in this area, have suddenly turned from bitter enemies into allies, bringing Obama closer to the longed-for solution to the problem of the Iranian nuclear project. Iraq itself, without the direct participation of the Americans, was de facto divided into three parts. So filming the terrible atrocities committed by the militants of the "Islamic State" is clearly not enough to conclude the failure of American policy in the Middle East.
The actions of the ISIS group * amaze the imagination with their cruelty and barbarity. Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has proclaimed himself "caliph", but with much more right he can claim another title. - "Terrorist #1" Repeatedly in the last couple of years, reports appeared in the media about the destruction of the leader of the militants, but each time they did not find confirmation. Al-Baghdadi tried to take extra precautions and did not seek publicity. Much more interviews were given by his runaway wives. However, this time in the bloody biography of the organizer of the "jihad" can be put a bold point. First, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the destruction of al-Baghdadi can be said "with a high degree of probability." And now the Iraqi TV channel As-Sumaria, citing a source in the Islamic State *, has confirmed the death of al-Baghdadi.
The path from football player to terrorist
The future militant leader Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri (this is the real name of al-Baghdadi) was born in 1971 in the vicinity of Samarra in Iraq. His biography could well have turned out differently. The boy belonged to the Sunni minority, his relatives served in the security forces under Saddam Hussein, and his father taught at the mosque.
Al-Baghdadi himself was going to become a lawyer and tried to enter the University of Baghdad, but to no avail. Then he decided to give preference to religious education and became a master in qiraat (reading the Qur'an for ritual purposes) at the University of Islamic Sciences. After that, the future al-Baghdadi settled near the mosque and taught children to read the Koran. Then he got a hobby - football. According to the stories of acquaintances, the future terrorist played quite well.
In 2003, the precarious religious balance in Iraq was upset by outside interference. American troops entered the country. They decided to overthrow Saddam Hussein, accusing him of creating and possessing "weapons of mass destruction."
The new pro-American local authorities decided to "democratically" rely on the majority of the population - Shiite Muslims. As a result, the popularity of radical ideas among the Sunni minority has grown dramatically, and the terrorist underground began to massively replenish Sunni security forces expelled from civil service.
"See you in New York, guys!"
Al-Baghdadi also joined the Iraqi cell of the international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda*.
There he was responsible for the religious direction and recruitment of militants. In 2005, the Americans arrested the "political officer" of the terrorists, but then nothing spoke of his future status. Among the other inhabitants of the filtration camp, Camp Bucca al-Baghdadi was not considered the most dangerous or the most powerful. He himself leaned more on religion. True, the former prisoners later recalled that in the camp the preachers actively planted radical ideas under the very noses of their guards. The employees of the camp administration themselves have rather pleasant memories of parting with al-Baghdadi. Leaving Camp Bucca, he said:
"Well guys, see you in New York."
Then no one took this phrase for an aggressive hint or threat.
Camp Bucca
And in 2010, al-Baghdadi led the Islamic State of Iraq* terrorist organization after the assassination of its former leader. Shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in Syria, the organization's ambitions spread to the neighboring country. This is how the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant”* or ISIS* appeared. The jihadists first gained a foothold in Syria, and in 2014 captured a large part of northern Iraq. Al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in the territories under his control, and from now on he demanded to call himself "caliph".
A photo:livejournal. com
Sexual pleasures of the "faithful leader"
The leader of the militants became famous not only for his unprecedented cruelty, but also for his "love of love." Even during the days of law-abiding youth under Saddam Hussein, he was married at least twice and managed to have six children. Since then, stories about his new wives and sex slaves have repeatedly hit the media. Moreover, a new portion of revelations usually appeared after the next passion managed to escape. German Diane Kruger was responsible in the "caliphate" for the behavior of all persons of the weaker sex, she also headed the Sharia court for women. In particular, she made sure that all residents of the controlled territories behaved quite modestly. If the militants were disappointed in Diana’s abilities on the “moral” front, if something else went wrong, but in 2016 Diana escaped.
Another ex-wife of al-Baghdadi, Saja ad-Dulaimi, also gained fame. In the midst of her husband's bloody actions, she and her children went to his enemies in Europe. Hoping to get a permanent home.
“I want to live in one of the European, not Arab countries. I want my children to live and be educated. Even if the mother was married to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a terrorist... Is the child to blame?” - said the woman to Swedish journalists.
Al-Baghdadi's personal life was not limited to communication with official wives. The militants have organized entire harems in which they contain sexual slaves. Most of them are girls, including minors, from families of religious minorities. In particular, the Yezidi Kurds. One of them, 16-year-old Zeinat, spoke about how she was forced to spend more than one night with al-Baghdadi.
In front of the girls, people were killed and tortured. And when Zeynat tried to escape, she was almost killed herself.
“They beat all of us, left no living place for us. We were almost black with bruises. They beat us with everything that came to hand: wires, belts, wooden sticks,” the captive recalled.
Al-Baghdadi, according to her, took a personal part in the massacre. The Yezidis, according to jihadists, are "devil worshipers" and do not deserve pity.
6 Deaths of al-Baghdadi
The leader of ISIS* has long been the main target of intelligence services and armed groups of many countries taking part in the conflict in Iraq and Syria. For the first time, the Americans reported about his murder back in 2005, but later the information was not confirmed. The next time the Arab media announced the possible destruction of al-Baghdadi was in February 2015. A month later, representatives of the pro-Western coalition "killed" him again, and the journalists even managed to "transfer" power to Abdurrahman's successor, Mustafa Al-Sheikhlar. However, information soon appeared that the head of ISIS * was only wounded.
In 2016, al-Baghdadi was "killed" a couple more times. First, as a result of an air strike by the Western coalition, then through poisoning.
In the spring of 2017, the command of the Russian group of forces in Syria received information that on May 28, militant leaders were going to hold a meeting on the outskirts of Raqqa. There it was planned to discuss a plan for the withdrawal of jihadists from the besieged city. Drones confirmed the intelligence, and SU-35 and SU-34 planes destroyed the terrorists' command post. As a result, high-ranking militant leaders, 30 field commanders and about 300 bodyguards were killed.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Oleg Syromolotov stressed at the time that information about the death of al-Baghdadi was being verified. Its liquidation, according to the diplomat, will undoubtedly "introduce fear and panic" into the ranks of the militants.
“Based on the experience of defeating the terrorist underground in the North Caucasus, I can say that if this information is confirmed, then it will be possible to state another major success of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the fight against international terrorism,” Syromolotov said.
And now, the information seems to be really confirmed. If we draw a parallel with Al-Qaeda*, then after the death of Osama bin Laden, the activity of this terrorist group really began to decline. But even then there were dozens of various and conflicting rumors, gossip, myths, speculation, rumors and versions that the “elusive” Osama was actually alive and only hid for the time being ... So, even though the “immortal” al-Baghdadi is dead, but the terrorists, like a flag, will surely wave his name for a long time in their own interests.
* An extremist organization banned in Russia.
Alexander Sablin
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Real name - Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri al-Husseini al-Samarrai, also known as Abu Dua.
Born in 1971 in the Iraqi city of Samarra (120 km north of Baghdad). He graduated from the University of Baghdad with a doctorate in history and Islamic law.
Until 2003, he was a preacher and teacher of Islamic law in the province of Diyala in central Iraq.
Shortly after the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the Western coalition, al-Baghdadi joined the ranks of the rebels who launched an armed resistance against the foreign presence.
He later joined the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda and by the fall of 2005 had gained fame as one of the most prominent leaders of this group. He, in particular, was engaged in the transfer of volunteers from Syria and Saudi Arabia to participate in the war against the Western coalition in Iraq.
In October 2005, an American aircraft attacked a terrorist base near the Iraqi city of Al Qaim on the border with Syria, where al-Baghdadi was allegedly hiding. However, after the airstrike, his body was not found.
According to some sources, in 2005 he was taken prisoner during the operation of American troops in the rebel Sunni cities of Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarra, and was held in the American camp for especially dangerous extremists Camp Bocca in southern Iraq. According to some media reports, during the detention, a meeting was organized between al-Baghdadi and American General David Petraeus (February 2007 - September 2008 - commander of the Multinational Forces in Iraq; in 2010-2012 director of the CIA). In 2009, al-Baghdadi was released along with other prisoners of the camp, which was closed under an agreement between the US administration of George W. Bush and the Iraqi government of al-Maliki. According to some sources, saying goodbye to the commander of the security unit of the Camp Bocca camp, American Colonel Kenneth King, al-Baghdadi said goodbye to him: "See you in New York, guys!"
According to other media, citing the US Department of Defense, al-Baghdadi was placed in the camp as a "civilian internee" and was there from February to December 2004. The US Department of Defense does not provide other information about his detention.
May 16, 2010 led the terrorist organization "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI) after the assassination of its leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi (April 2010).
In 2011, with the outbreak of armed confrontation in Syria, al-Baghdadi sent his assistant Adnan al-Haj Ali (better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jaulani) there, who formed and led the anti-government jihadist terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra there.
In October 2011, the US State Department announced a $10 million reward for any information leading to al-Baghdadi's capture and execution. He was officially listed by the United States as a particularly dangerous terrorist.
Since April 9, 2013, he has been the leader of the terrorist jihadist group "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIS), which united the Syrian "Dzhebhat al-Nusra" and the Iraqi "Islamic State of Iraq".
In November 2013, a split occurred between the Iraqi and Syrian groups. Jabhat al-Nusra broke away from ISIS and began to operate independently again. Al-Baghdadi remained the leader of the ISIS group, with a total number of up to 15 thousand people, fighting both in Iraq and in Syria.
In January 2014, under the leadership of al-Baghdadi, the Sunni cities of Fallujah and Ramadi were captured.
Since the beginning of June 2014, ISIS has been conducting an active offensive in Iraq with the aim of creating an Islamic caliphate in the Sunni provinces. ISIS managed to capture the cities of Mosul and Tikrit bordering Iraqi Kurdistan and take control of most of the provinces of Ninewa, Salah al-Din and Diyala. Currently, ISIS militants continue to advance from north to south towards Baghdad.
On June 29, 2014, ISIS decided to establish a quasi-state - the "Islamic Caliphate" and appoint Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as caliph (head of the caliphate). ISIS also decided to rename ISIS to the "Islamic State" (a group banned in the Russian Federation - TASS note). The decisions were made on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In a special statement, the group called on Muslims around the world to recognize the creation of the caliphate, as well as "swear allegiance to it (the Islamic Caliphate) and support it ... The legitimacy of all emirates, groups, states and organizations is lost with the expansion of the powers of the caliph and the arrival of his troops on their territories".
Media calls al-Baghdadi "the true heir to Osama bin Laden", he is known for his radicalism and cruelty. As a result of the terrorist activities of the group led by him in Iraq, several thousand civilians were killed. Since June 10, 2014 alone, more than 1,200 people have died. It is believed that al-Baghdadi is very cautious, he covers his face even in the presence of his entourage. Al-Baghdadi proclaims himself the direct heir of the Prophet Muhammad.
Photo: Ropi / Zuma / Globallookpress.com
The future caliph Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim al-Badri was born in the Iraqi city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971. Power in the country then belonged to the pan-Arab secularist left-wing Baath party.
Ibrahim's father, Avvad, actively participated in the religious life of the community and taught at the local mosque. It was there that his son took his first steps as a theologian: he gathered the neighborhood boys and they read the Koran together.
The Baathists did not encourage the active spread of religion, but they did not fight it either. Some relatives of Ibrahim even joined the ranks of the ruling party. Two uncles of the future caliph worked in the secret services of President Saddam Hussein; one of his brothers was an officer in Saddam's army, and another brother died in the Iraqi-Iranian war. Ibrahim himself at the beginning of the conflict was too young to take part in it.
Since 1993, the Iraqi leader began a "campaign to return to the faith": nightclubs were closed in the country, public drinking of alcohol was prohibited, Sharia norms were introduced in a limited way (for example, hands were cut off for theft).
When it came time to decide on a higher education, Ibrahim al-Badri tried to enter the Faculty of Law at Baghdad University, but he was let down by poor knowledge of English and poor grades. As a result, he went to the theological faculty, and then entered the University of Islamic Sciences, where he received a master's degree in qiraat (schools of public recitation of the Qur'an).
While studying at the magistracy, at the insistence of his uncle, Ibrahim joined the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood. This supranational Islamist organization advocated the creation of religious Islamic states, but in most countries its followers chose cautious tactics and did not support armed struggle with the authorities. Al-Badri, such ideas seemed too soft - he called their followers people of words, not deeds, and the future caliph quickly joined the most radical members of the organization.
After receiving his master's degree in 2000, al-Badri settled in a small apartment in a poor area of Baghdad, next to a mosque. In four years, he managed to change two wives and become the father of six children.
In 2004, al-Badri was arrested by the Americans - he went to visit a friend who was wanted. The future caliph ended up in the Camp Bucca filtration camp, where the occupation administration kept suspicious Iraqis. They were not forbidden to perform religious rituals, and the future caliph skillfully used this: he gave lectures on religion, held Friday prayers and gave instructions to the captives in accordance with his interpretation of Islam.
Prisoners said that Camp Bucca had become a veritable jihadist academy. “Teach him, inspire him with ideology and show him the way forward so that at the time of his release he becomes a blazing flame,” one of the former prisoners described the strategy of Islamic theologians inside the filtration camp in relation to each newcomer.
After his release, al-Badri contacted al-Qaeda in Iraq, who advised him to move to Damascus. In the Syrian capital, he had the opportunity, in addition to working for terrorists, to complete his dissertation. Then a conflict began in the ranks of the jihadists, which led to the transformation of the Iraqi branch of Al-Qaeda into the brutal Islamic State of Iraq. Al-Badri was appointed head of the religious direction in the Iraqi "provinces" of the organization. The caliphate did not have territory at that time, therefore, Ibrahim was mainly engaged in the development of a propaganda strategy and made sure that the militants clearly followed religious instructions.
In March 2007, he returned to Baghdad, where he defended his thesis and became a doctor of Qur'anic studies. His scientific success attracted the attention of the then leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who made al-Badri the head of the Sharia Committee - that is, responsible for all the religious work of the terrorist organization.
In 2013, the group began to participate in hostilities in Syria and changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), and after the blitzkrieg of the summer of 2014, it was reduced to the Islamic State. Then Awwad Ibrahim al-Badri declared himself caliph, finally turning into Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
For the head of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the American authorities promise 10 million dollars: on the website RewardsForJustice, owned by the State Department, he is called by the pseudonym Abu Dua. Despite the fact that in monetary terms, the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is valued almost twice as much, after the death of Osama bin Laden, it is the self-proclaimed caliph and leader of the ISIS, Abu Bakr, who is now considered “terrorist number one”.
December 16, 2014, 17:37 The authors: Translation: Arseny Varshavsky, Dima Smirnov, based on Newsweek materials
Newsweek studied the fate of the world's number 1 terrorist. Read our translation.
On the rare occasions when ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi showed up in public, his entourage resembled something between a president and a thieves' authority. “When he came in, mobile communications disappeared,” says the 29-year-old Syrian - he asked to be mentioned in an interview only as Abu Ali - the man recalls the only time al-Baghdadi entered the mosque. “Armed guards cordoned off the area. The women were sent upstairs to the women's prayer service. Everyone was warned not to take pictures or film anything. Terribly nervous atmosphere.
“What made her (the atmosphere more nervous) was when Baghdadi finally showed up, dressed in black from head to toe… The guards shouted: “Allah akbar! Allah Akbar!" Everyone became even more scared, ”says Ali. “Then the guards forced us to swear allegiance to him. Even when Baghdadi left, none of us were allowed to leave the mosque for the next half hour.”
In his hometown of Samarra, which is located in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad, al-Baghdadi (real name - Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri) is remembered in different ways. In his hometown, he was considered "a very quiet person," says a former neighbor, Tariq Hamid. “He was peaceful. He didn't like to talk for a long time."
Friends of the ISIS leader, whose caliphate now controls parts of Iraq and Syria, say al-Baghdadi grew up diligent, pious and calm. He was an introvert, without many friends.
Hamid remembers him as a boy on a bicycle, dressed in typical Iraqi men's clothing (dijdash), with a small white headdress on his head. “He always had religious or other books in the trunk of his bike, and I never saw him in trousers or a shirt, unlike most of the guys in Samarra ... Thin beard; and he never hung out in a cafe. He had only a narrow circle of acquaintances from the mosque.”
It is believed that Abu Bakr was born in 1971 in Samarra. Raised in Al-Jibria, a lower-middle-class neighborhood controlled by the Albu Badri and Albu Baz tribes. The area has also been bombed by the United States since the 2003 invasion in an attempt to root out insurgents and terrorist cells.
Al-Baghdadi's family was not wealthy, but two of his uncles worked in Saddam Hussein's bodyguard. This meant some kind of status and connections, which gave a certain reverence or even fear in society. “He was from a poor but intelligent family,” recalls Hashem, a translator who knew his family. "He was very withdrawn ... went to the mosque, studied, read books - that's all."
Al-Baghdadi grew up just a mile away from the 10th century temple, Imam Hassan al-Shakri, one of the most sacred places for Shiites and also an important monument for Sunnis in Samarra. According to ISIS sources, faith played a big role in al-Baghdadi's life. Another Samarran resident, Yessir Fahmy, says that much of al-Baghdadi's childhood was spent in religious studies: "Ibrahim, like most of his family, was a devout Muslim."
But a London-based Iraqi analyst at the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform, Sajjad Jiyad, says he has not seen any hard evidence of his religious fervor. “I would be surprised if he was a religious person, most Iraqis who became jihadists were secular Baathists before 2003,” Jiyad explains.
In addition to religion, his neighbors say, al-Baghdadi loved sports, mainly football, which he played in the yard near the house. “He rarely lost his temper during a match, even if you hit him or flare up,” recalls Hamid. "He was a great defender."
ISIS websites indicate that in the past, al-Baghdadi studied the Koran in the mosques of Samarra and "Hadith" - the traditions, deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. One of the neighbors says that al-Baghdadi was looked after by two prominent clerics: Sheikh Subni al-Saarai and Sheikh Adnan al-Amin.
There is controversy over al-Baghdadi's work as a cleric. Some sources say he preached in a mosque in Samarra, others in Baghdad. But Jiyad claims that this information is highly dubious, and ISIS creates it for the image of al-Baghdadi.
Most believe that after high school, like most young people during Saddam's rule, he should have served in the Iraqi army. During this time, he could be taught the basics of military tactics and the proper handling of weapons.
At the age of 18, al-Baghdadi traveled to Baghdad for the first time to study. The depth of his knowledge is also a subject of controversy. Some, such as Hamid, believe that he reached the degree of professor in religious sciences. It was not possible to verify this information with family members. “Most of the relatives left Samarra out of fear of being associated with him,” says Fahmy. “Ibrahim left in 2003 to study in Baghdad. His nephew was arrested last year by Iraqi law enforcement. When the last members of his family went to Baghdad to negotiate his release, they were also arrested.”
As far as Fahmi knows, al-Baghdadi has not been to Samarra since 2003.
Prisoners pray at the American prison camp Camp Bucca, Iraq.
LinkedInfor terrorists
The origins of al-Baghdadi's brutal behavior are the bloodshed that began after the US invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. American troops entered downtown Baghdad on April 9, 2003. Shortly thereafter, the country plunged into anarchy. Saddam and his supporters immediately fled - some went to villages near the Sunni Triangle, others moved to Syria. Sunni rebels who remained in Iraq began to carry out attacks on American military bases.
It is believed that al-Baghdadi helped in the creation of the terrorist group Jaish Ahl al Sunna wal Jamaa. In 2004 or 2005 - the exact year is unknown, as is all information about al-Baghdadi - he was taken prisoner by US troops, allegedly in the course of a large-scale roundup of the accomplice of the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi, the leader of an Iraqi al-Qaeda cell who was responsible for numerous bombings and deaths, was killed by US forces in 2006.
After his arrest, al-Baghdadi was imprisoned in the Camp Bucca prison in northern Iraq, near the city of Umm Qasr, where former prisoners of Abu Ghraib were also kept. Al-Baghdadi was listed as a "civilian interned" - this meant that he had connections with a terrorist group, but was not convicted of committing terrorist acts.
It is not known exactly how much time al-Baghdadi spent at Camp Bucca. Some US military leaders who worked at the prison recall that al-Baghdadi was there between 2006 and 2007. Others say he was in prison from 2006-2009. Syrian activist Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi says al-Baghdadi was imprisoned between January 2004 and December 2006. Middle East Forum researcher Aymen Javad al-Tamimi says that since al-Baghdadi was involved in terrorist activities in 2005, he should were released at the end of 2004.
Whether he was in jail for a year or two, al-Baghdadi spent that time to good use. At that time, Camp Bucca was a summer camp for ambitious terrorists. Under the supervision of American guards, the prisoners communicated with each other, exchanged information and battle tactics, and made important contacts for future operations. They drew inspiration from the torture at Abu Ghraib prison, the success of al-Zarqawi, and divisions within the Sunnis. Historian Jeremy Suri has described Camp Bucca as "a virtual university for terrorists".
"Camp Bucca was a place where many jihadists met each other, and many former Ba'athists took radical views and connected with Islamist groups," writes Aaron Lund, editor of the SyriainCrisis website. "A lot of IS leaders have gone through this prison."
According to Jiyad, it is unlikely that al-Baghdidi was actively involved in the insurgency before the US invasion of Iraq, and Camp Bucca was the starting point for him. "The rebel career must have been a good opportunity for him," he says. One of the people al-Baghdadi met at Camp Bucca was Taha Sobhi Falaha, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, an ISIS spokesman.
After his release from Camp Bucca, al-Baghdadi continued his insurgency. In 2006, an umbrella organization made up of terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, formed the Islamic State in Iraq. In May 2010, he was appointed leader of this organization.
From the very beginning, IS had broad ambitions, and its agenda was different from that proposed by al-Qaeda. IS has abandoned the use of the al-Qaeda flag, choosing a different one.
According to the al-Monitor news resource, the split occurred as a result of gradually growing disagreements between the leaders of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, as well as the search for other sources of funding for the organization. “Then, in mid-2013, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the creation of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (now known as ISIS) and refused to follow orders from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda. Al-Zawahiri wanted ISIS to operate only in Iraqi territory and Jabat al-Nusra to be Al-Qaeda's representative in Syria."
A former ISIS member who defected from the group, who introduced himself as "Hussein," says he was close to al-Baghdadi during the break in relations between him and the al-Nursa organization, which is based in Syria and cooperates with al-Qaeda. He recalls the paranoia and distrust that prevailed at their meetings, which took place somewhere on the border between Syria and Turkey. "Al-Baghdadi met them in a trailer near the Turkish border," he says. “He introduced himself only to high-ranking leaders. He did not introduce himself to junior superiors. But interestingly, when he was in a large group, no one could say with certainty that it was he who was in the room. Al-Baghdadi wanted to confuse the others."
Hussain said al-Baghdadi relied heavily on the advice of the late Haji Bakr, the top leader of ISIS and a former Iraqi army officer who was killed in January 2014. Hussein believes that his death was a big blow to al-Baghdadi: “Haji Bakr improved al-Baghdadi's image - he prepared him for a prominent membership in ISIS. But honestly, the real leader who ruled in the shadows was Haji Bakr.” Al-Baghdadi still relies on dedicated military experts. He met many of them at Cap Bucca.
Quiet Paranoid
Little is known about al-Baghdadi's personal life, except that he is "tough in relationships and calm in life," Jiyad says. "His behavior and activities are due to paranoia."
Most references to al-Baghdadi on social media do not provide complete information about him, and it is rare to find information about his activities and personality in them. ISIS-linked social media mostly refer to al-Baghdadi when urging new users to swear allegiance to the caliph.
Al-Baghdadi often changes his location, crossing the poorly guarded border between Iraq and Syria, and may live either in or near Raqqa. Jiyad says that before he fled to Syria with ISIS around 2010, al-Baghdadi probably lived in Baghdad and Mosul. “Very few people met him in those days, and those who saw him wore a mask,” Jiyad says. “His predecessors and peers were killed as a result of denunciations and actions of the special services. However, I also think that between 2010 and 2014 he was able to improve his religious knowledge and was able to create a mystical image around him.”
Lebanese officials said they arrested al-Baghdadi's daughter and ex-wife in early December, although the exact relationship with him remains unclear. The Iraqi Interior Ministry, citing a source from the intelligence group of its department, states that al-Baghdadi has two wives - Asma Fawzi Mohammad al-Dulaimi and Israa Rajab Mahal al-Kwasi.
In public, al-Baghdadi wears a scarf over his face and does not allow the distribution of photos or videos of him, unlike the leaders of other terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda. In old prison photos taken in 2004, he looks like "an ambitious terrorist, not a Caliph."
Jiyad, who has transcribed al-Baghdadi's audio recordings, says they show how he feels about Jabat al-Nursa and al-Qaeda, for example. "He positions himself as the boss and treats organizations outside of Iraq with a degree of contempt."
Apparently, al-Baghdadi enjoys his role as "the world's top terrorist, Osama bin Laden's heir," Jiyad says.
“If we discard all mysticism and grandeur, the “caliph” turns into an ordinary person who took advantage of his opportunity,” Jiyad notes. “He is no different from the hundreds of other Iraqis who have tried to destroy the new Iraq. He could become an unknown terrorist or a violent criminal. And now he is in the center of world attention.”
