Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been man of mystery ever since he came into prominence as the head of the ISIS. He has been careful to reveal little about himself and his whereabouts. As reports of his death are doing the rounds, here is a look at the man and the mystery around him-
Al Baghdadi
– Believed to born in Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971.
– He was a cleric in a local mosque the time of US-led invasion in 2003.
– Some believe he was already a militant Jihadist during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
– Others suggest he was radicalised during the four years he was held by US in southern Iraq where many al-Qaeda commanders were detained.
– Emerged as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, one of the groups that later became ISIS, in 2010.
– Rose to prominence during the attempted merger with al-Nusra Front in Syria.
– No sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda leader, Zawahiri.
– Highly organised and ruthless battlefield tactician.
– US officially designated Baghdadi as “terrorist” and offered a $10m reward on him in October 2011.
– Baghdadi has many aliases, including Abu Duaa and Dr Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai.
– Nobody is aware of his real name.
– His face was not known until he made an appearance in video.
– Was reported to be injured during an US-led air strike in March, 2015