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| Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: US special forces 'target IS chief' | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The US military has conducted an operation in Syria against the fugitive leader of the Islamic State (IS) group, US media report. | |
| There has been no official confirmation of reports that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in the raid. He has been wrongly reported dead on several previous occasions. | |
| US President Donald Trump is due to make a "major statement" at 1300 GMT. | |
| Mr Trump earlier tweeted: "Something very big has just happened!" | |
| A villager in the village of Barisha in Idlib province, north-west Syria, described to the BBC a dramatic military operation late on Saturday night. | |
| He said helicopters had launched an assault that lasted 30 minutes, firing missiles at two houses and flattening one, before troops became active on the ground. | |
| The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said on Sunday that a "historic, successful operation" had resulted from "joint intelligence work" with the US. | The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said on Sunday that a "historic, successful operation" had resulted from "joint intelligence work" with the US. |
| Turkey has also said it co-ordinated with the US military ahead of the operation, describing it as "a good day for the good guys". | |
| The raid was carried out by US special operations forces after they received "actionable intelligence", Newsweek said, citing unnamed sources. | |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said helicopter gunfire had killed nine people near a village in the Syrian province of Idlib, where "groups linked to the Islamic State group" were present. | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said helicopter gunfire had killed nine people near a village in the Syrian province of Idlib, where "groups linked to the Islamic State group" were present. |
| This is not the first time the fugitive IS leader has been reported killed, but this weekend US officials have been speaking with confidence about a decisive operation to target him. | This is not the first time the fugitive IS leader has been reported killed, but this weekend US officials have been speaking with confidence about a decisive operation to target him. |
| Baghdadi - his adopted nom de guerre rather than his real name - has been a key jihadist leader in both Iraq and Syria since 2010. Before then, he was incarcerated in the US-run Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, where he formed alliances with other future IS operatives. | Baghdadi - his adopted nom de guerre rather than his real name - has been a key jihadist leader in both Iraq and Syria since 2010. Before then, he was incarcerated in the US-run Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, where he formed alliances with other future IS operatives. |
| As Syria collapsed into civil war and Iraq's government discriminated against its Sunni minority, Baghdadi galvanised the remnants of al-Qaeda into a fluid fighting force that took over Raqqa in Syria in 2013 and then Iraq's second city of Mosul the following year. | As Syria collapsed into civil war and Iraq's government discriminated against its Sunni minority, Baghdadi galvanised the remnants of al-Qaeda into a fluid fighting force that took over Raqqa in Syria in 2013 and then Iraq's second city of Mosul the following year. |
| His brutal and destructive self-proclaimed IS "caliphate" lasted five years and attracted thousands of jihadists from around the world. But in March 2019, it lost its last piece of territory at Baghuz in Syria. | His brutal and destructive self-proclaimed IS "caliphate" lasted five years and attracted thousands of jihadists from around the world. But in March 2019, it lost its last piece of territory at Baghuz in Syria. |
| IS has since vowed to carry on fighting a "war of attrition" against its enemies. | IS has since vowed to carry on fighting a "war of attrition" against its enemies. |
| Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? | Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? |
| The IS leader has been described as the world's most wanted man. | The IS leader has been described as the world's most wanted man. |
| In October 2011, the US officially designated him a "terrorist" and offered a reward of $10m (£5.8m at the time) for information leading to his capture or death. This was increased to $25m in 2017. | In October 2011, the US officially designated him a "terrorist" and offered a reward of $10m (£5.8m at the time) for information leading to his capture or death. This was increased to $25m in 2017. |
| Baghdadi has a reputation as a highly organised and ruthless battlefield tactician. | Baghdadi has a reputation as a highly organised and ruthless battlefield tactician. |
| He was born near Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971, and his real name is Ibrahim Awad al-Badri. | He was born near Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971, and his real name is Ibrahim Awad al-Badri. |
| Reports suggest he was a cleric in a mosque in the city around the time of the US-led invasion in 2003. | Reports suggest he was a cleric in a mosque in the city around the time of the US-led invasion in 2003. |
| Some believe he was already a militant jihadist during the rule of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Others suggest he was radicalised during the time he was held at Camp Bucca, a US facility in southern Iraq where many al-Qaeda commanders were detained. | Some believe he was already a militant jihadist during the rule of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Others suggest he was radicalised during the time he was held at Camp Bucca, a US facility in southern Iraq where many al-Qaeda commanders were detained. |
| He emerged in 2010 as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, one of the groups that merged with IS, and rose to prominence during the attempted merger with the al-Nusra Front in Syria. | He emerged in 2010 as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, one of the groups that merged with IS, and rose to prominence during the attempted merger with the al-Nusra Front in Syria. |
| IS released a video of a man it said was Baghdadi earlier this year. Before this, he had not been seen since 2014, when he proclaimed from Mosul the creation of a "caliphate" across parts of Syria and Iraq. | IS released a video of a man it said was Baghdadi earlier this year. Before this, he had not been seen since 2014, when he proclaimed from Mosul the creation of a "caliphate" across parts of Syria and Iraq. |