Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Ibrahim Awwad (Arabic: إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَوَّادٍ), known by his pseudonym Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Arabic: أبو بكر البغدادي; 28 July 1971^[1] – 26 October 2019) was an Iraqi terrorist and politician. He was leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from 2013 to 2019. His followers in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) call him their caliph.^[9] On 4 October 2011, the US State Department listed al-Baghdadi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and announced a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to his capture or death.^[10] His father was Awwad Ibrahim, a religious cleric. The family belonged to al-Badri tribe.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
أبو بكر البغدادي
1st Caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Dead
In office 7 April 2013 – 26 October 2019
Preceded by	Himself (as Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq)
Succeeded by	Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
2nd Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq
In office 18 April 2010 – 7 April 2013
Preceded by	Abu Omar al-Baghdadi
Succeeded by	Himself (as Caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)
Personal details
Born	Ibrahim Awwad (1971-07-28)28 July 1971[1] Samarra, Iraq[2][3]
Died	26 October 2019(2019-10-26) (aged 48) Barisha, Syria
Cause of death	Suicide by detonation of a bomb during attack of
Nationality	Iraqi
Children	son Hudhayfah al-Badri daughter Hagar daughter Umaima al-Baghdadi
Religion	Sunni Islam[4][5]
Nickname(s)	Abu Du'a[6] "The Invisible Sheikh"[7] "The Ghost"[8]
Allegiance	Jamaat Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamaah (2003–2006) Al-Qaeda (2006–2013) Mujahideen Shura Council (January 2006 – October 2006) Islamic State of Iraq (October 2006 – April 2013)  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (April 2013 – October 2019)
Years of service	2003–2019
Rank	Caliph
Battles/wars	War on Terror Iraqi conflict (2003–present) Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) War in Iraq (2013–2017) Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present) American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) Syrian civil war American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war Operation Kayla Mueller † Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war International military intervention against the Islamic State

On 11 July 2017, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was quoted by Reuters and AFP as saying that it had "confirmed information" that al-Baghdadi has been killed by a Russian airstrike in Syria sometime in June 2017 at the either age of 45.^[11]

However, on 28 September 2017, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant released a 46-minute audio recording of al-Baghdadi in which he refers to events that had happened since the death rumors, including North Korean threats against Japan and United States and the recapture of Mosul by U.S. backed Iraqi forces in July.^[12][13][14]

On 26 October 2019, Baghdadi killed himself by detonating a bomb on his chest during a United States special operations raid in Syria's northwestern Idlib province in a village called Barisha. This is confirmed by US President Donald Trump at 9am EST (1300 GMT).^[15][16][17]

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi replaced him as the leader of ISIS.^[18]

Personal life

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had several wives, including Asma Fawzi Muhammad al-Dulaimi, Israu Rajab Mahal al-Qaisi, Sujida al-Dulaimi (also known as "Saja") and, according to various media reports, German teenager Diane Kruger. He had children from these marriages, including a son named Huzaifa al-Badri, who was killed in action in 2018. During the Barisha raid, two or three of his children died along with him. In addition, al-Baghdadi had siblings, including Rasmia Awad, who was detained by Turkish authorities, and Juma, who acted as a courier for him. Other relatives such as Duaa Amid Ibrahim and Abu Ahmed al-Samarrai were also involved or associated with his activities.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's three daughters. One of his daughters, Umaima al-Baghdadi, was married to ISIS leader Abu Nuradin Rustamov, who was killed by a US F-16 fighter-bomber in 2016.