Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi | |
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أبو بكر البغدادي | |
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1st Caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | |
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 28 July 1971[1] Samarra, Iraq[2][3] |
Died | 26 October 2019 Barisha, Syria | (aged 48)
Cause of death | Suicide bombing |
Nationality | Iraqi |
Children | son Hudhayfah al-Badri daughter Hagar daughter Umaima al-Baghdadi |
Religion | Sunni Islam[4][5] |
Nickname(s) | |
Allegiance | ![]() (2003–2006) ![]() (2006–2013)
![]() (April 2013 – October 2019) |
Years of service | 2003–2019 |
Rank | Caliph |
Battles/wars | War on Terror |
Ibrahim Awwad (Arabic: إبراهيم عواد), 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.
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]