Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
The Iraqi army said that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the terrorist group “Islamic state” (IG, is prohibited in Russia), fled from the Iraqi city of Mosul. On Monday, November 7, RIA Novosti reported.
“Intelligence sources confirmed the escape of the terrorist, along with 150 families to be covered with them from air strikes”, — quotes Agency the statement a press-services of the Iraqi armed forces.
On 3 November The Guardian reported that the leader of ISIS left the Iraqi city. So, the British foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, citing sources in Western intelligence intelligence said that al-Baghdadi fled from Mosul, however, after this was published an audio recording in which he called upon the rest to stay in town and fight.
The day before the representative of the head of Iraqi Kurdistan Fuad Hussein said that the leader of the IG is hiding in the Iraqi city, and this might complicate the attack by Iraqi government troops and Kurdish militia in Mosul, since the Islamists will protect Baghdadi all available means, “not to spare their lives.”
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the leader of the “Islamic state” since its Foundation. In mass media repeatedly there were messages about the injury or death of militant. However later this information has not been confirmed.
The ground phase of the operation to liberate Mosul from the militants of the IG began at dawn on 17 October. In the attack, attended by about 60 thousand soldiers of the Iraqi army and Kurdish militias. According to U.S. intelligence, in the city itself resistance can provide from 3.5 thousand to 5 thousand terrorists, and about 2 thousand militants are operating in its vicinity. In Mosul are up to 1.5 million civilians, which extremists can use as a human shield.