{"id":55348,"date":"2019-10-27T19:15:19","date_gmt":"2019-10-27T19:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/10\/27\/islamic-state-leader-leaves-a-legacy-of-terror\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:16:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:16:27","slug":"islamic-state-leader-leaves-a-legacy-of-terror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/27\/islamic-state-leader-leaves-a-legacy-of-terror\/","title":{"rendered":"Islamic State leader al-Baghdadi leaves a legacy of terror"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BEIRUT \u2014 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sought to establish an Islamic \u201ccaliphate\u201d across Syria and Iraq, but he might be remembered more as the ruthlessly calculating leader of the Islamic State group who brought terror to the heart of Europe and set up a short-lived organization so extreme that it was shunned even by al-Qaida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, al-Baghdadi steered his chillingly violent but surprisingly disciplined followers into new territory by capitalizing on feelings of Sunni supremacy and disenfranchisement at a period of tumult after the Arab Spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the few senior ISIS commanders still at large, al-Baghdadi died Saturday when he detonated his suicide vest in a tunnel while being pursued by U.S. forces in Syria\u2019s Idlib province, killing himself and three of his children, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday. He was believed to be 48.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe didn\u2019t die a hero, he died a coward, crying, whimpering and screaming,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/27\/trump-says-al-baghdadi-died-like-a-dog-in-us-commando-raid-in-syria\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19300512174311.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump says al-Baghdadi &#8216;died like a dog\u2019 in US commando raid in Syria<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Al-Baghdadi\u2019s last moments alive were spent in \u201cpanic and dread\u201d as the ISIS leader was \u201cterrified of the American forces bearing down on him,&quot; and he died \u201cwhimpering and crying and screaming\u201d like a coward, Trump told reporters Sunday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">News of his death came five years after the Islamic State humiliated Iraq\u2019s military by seizing nearly a third of the country. Steady battlefield losses in the last two years saw the group\u2019s territory shrink from an area the size of Britain to a speck in the Euphrates River valley. In April, Kurdish-led forces backed by Washington declared the territorial defeat of IS after liberating the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria, the group\u2019s last bastion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Militants under al-Baghdadi\u2019s command deftly exploited social media to tout the group\u2019s military successes, document their mass slaughter, beheadings and stonings, and promote their cause to a global audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/27\/al-baghdadis-death-a-blow-but-isis-has-survived-other-losses\/\" target=_blank>The impact of al-Baghdadi\u2019s death<\/a> on future attacks is unclear: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/23\/isis-loses-all-territory-but-its-shadowy-leader-still-at-large\/\" target=_blank>The shadowy leader <\/a>had been largely regarded as a figurehead of the global terror network and was described as \u201cirrelevant\u201d by a coalition spokesman in 2017. The group also has lost many of its senior commanders in airstrikes since 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2470\" height=\"1566\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119606463971.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119606463971.jpg.jpg 2470w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119606463971.jpg.jpg?resize=300,190 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119606463971.jpg.jpg?resize=768,487 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119606463971.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,649 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119606463971.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,974 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119606463971.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1298 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2470px) 100vw, 2470px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This image made from video posted on a militant website on Monday, April 29, 2019, purports to show the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, being interviewed by his group&#8217;s Al-Furqan media outlet. Al-Baghdadi acknowledged in his first video since June 2014 that ISIS lost the war in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz that was captured last month by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. (Al-Furqan media via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Baghdadi was born as Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai in 1971 in Samarra, Iraq, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, according to a U.N. sanctions list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2014 biography in online jihadi forums traced his lineage to the Prophet Muhammad\u2019s Quraysh tribe. Its unconfirmed claims said al-Baghdadi earned a doctorate from Saddam University for Islamic Studies. It says he promoted the Salafi jihadi movement, which advocates \u201choly war\u201d to bring about a strict version of Islamic law, or Shariah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to ISIS-affiliated websites, al-Baghdadi was detained by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2004 for his militant activity, although he was considered a civilian detainee. He was released 10 months later and joined the al-Qaida branch in Iraq of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Al-Zarqawi was killed by a U.S. airstrike in 2006, al-Baghdadi became a trusted aide to two senior figures, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, assuming control of the group, known then as the Islamic State of Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group, al-Qaida\u2019s official franchise in Iraq, had been weakened by years of U.S. and Iraqi raids and the mobilization of Sunni fighters opposed to its extremist ideology. But al-Baghdadi deployed suicide attackers, car bombs and gunmen against Iraqi forces and Shiite civilians as the U.S. drew down its troops ahead of a 2011 withdrawal. Prison breaks bolstered his group\u2019s ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/09\/16\/isis-leader-calls-on-fighters-to-free-detained-comrades\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"183\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19119603704974.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">ISIS leader calls on fighters to free detained comrades<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The leader of the Islamic State group released a new alleged audio recording Monday calling on members of the extremist group to do all they can to free IS detainees and women held in jails and camps.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amid the uprising against President Bashar Assad in Syria, he sent comrades there to create a Sunni extremist group known as the Nusra Front, which more moderate Sunni rebels initially welcomed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over time, more of his fighters and possibly al-Baghdadi himself relocated to Syria, pursuing plans to restore a medieval Islamic state, or caliphate, spanning both Iraq and greater Syria. In April 2013, al-Baghdadi announced what amounted to a hostile takeover of the Nusra Front, merging it into a new group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The move caught both the Nusra Front and al-Qaida\u2019s central command off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani refused to accept the takeover. Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaida\u2019s top leader, ordered al-Baghdadi\u2019s group abolished. Al-Baghdadi would not compromise, and al-Qaida eventually distanced itself, saying it had no connection to al-Baghdadi\u2019s group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It went on to take control of key cities such as Raqqa, Syria, and Fallujah, Iraq. Then came the June 2014 offensive that drew the U.S. back into Iraq: Al-Baghdadi\u2019s militants and allied Sunni fighters seized Iraq\u2019s second-largest city of Mosul and other Sunni-dominated communities. Government troops put up little resistance, and al-Baghdadi\u2019s fighters posted videos of its forces killing captured Shiite troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"999\" height=\"942\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19300483596731.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19300483596731.jpg.jpg 999w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19300483596731.jpg.jpg?resize=300,283 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19300483596731.jpg.jpg?resize=768,724 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The territory once controlled by the Islamic State group.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group announced its own state governed by Islamic law, with al-Baghdadi as \u201ccaliph.\u201d Muslims worldwide were urged to pledge allegiance to him and the newly renamed Islamic State group. On June 29, 2014, a video emerged of a man purporting to be al-Baghdadi giving a sermon at a Mosul mosque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Barack Obama launched airstrikes against ISIS on Aug. 8 to safeguard U.S. interests after thousands of Iraqi Yazidis, followers of an ancient religion, were targeted by al-Baghdadi\u2019s fighters. ISIS militants responded by beheading Western captives, starting with freelance American journalist James Foley, and posting their deeds in gruesome online videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. and Arab allies launched airstrikes in Syria to help U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters battle the group. ISIS militants turned outward, claiming the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and the March 22 attacks in Brussels that killed 32.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iraqi officials said al-Baghdadi was wounded in an airstrike on Nov. 8, 2014, in Iraq\u2019s Anbar province. Days later, an audio message purportedly from him urged followers to \u201cexplode the volcanoes of jihad everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On April 30, 2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/04\/29\/isis-leader-baghdadi-appears-in-video-for-the-first-time-in-5-years\/\" target=_blank>he appeared in a video for the first time in five years<\/a>, acknowledging defeat in the group\u2019s last stronghold in Syria but vowing a \u201clong battle\u201d ahead. He claimed the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that killed over 250 people were part of the battle that \u201cwill continue until doomsday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Schreck reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sought to establish an Islamic \u201ccaliphate\u201d across Syria and Iraq, but he might be remembered more as the ruthlessly calculating leader of the Islamic State group who brought terror to the heart of Europe and set up a short-lived organization so extreme that it was shunned even by al-Qaida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":46461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3102,2910],"class_list":["post-55348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WE4LPPBJXNAKXKZJ2K3TAWAD4A","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/27\/islamic-state-leader-leaves-a-legacy-of-terror\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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content=\"Adam Schreck, The Associated Press, Zeina Karam, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/27\\\/islamic-state-leader-leaves-a-legacy-of-terror\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/27\\\/islamic-state-leader-leaves-a-legacy-of-terror\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": 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