‘BAGHDADI ALMOST CERTAINLY ALIVE’

IS CHIEF, REPORTED DEAD EARLIER, COULD BE IN RAQQA

SULAIMANIA, IRAQ: A top Kurdish counter-terrorism official said on Monday he was 99% sure that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was alive and located south of the Syrian city of Raqqa, despite reports that he had been killed.

“Baghdadi is definitely alive. He is not dead. We have information that he is alive. We believe 99% he is alive ,” L ah ur Ta lab any told Reuters in an interview.

“Don’t forget his roots go back to al Qaeda days in Iraq. He was hiding from security services. He knows what he is doing.”

The secretive Islamic State leader has frequently been reported killed or wounded since he climbed up to the pulpit of a mosque in Mosul in 2014 and declared a caliphate with himself the leader of all Muslims.

After leading his fighters on a sweep through northern Iraq, Baghdadi attempted to create a self-sustaining modern-day caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.

He is now am an on the run, but still a cunning foe, said Ta lab any, who as part of the international coalition against Islamic State has been at the fore front of efforts to track Baghdadi down.

“He is not an easy figure. He has years of experience in hiding and getting away from the security services,” Talabany said.

“The territory they control right now, still to this day, is very tough territory. It is still not the end of the game for ISIL. Even though they have lost almost all of Mosul and they are getting ready to lose Raqqa as well.”

Talabany said IS was now shifting tactics despite low morale and it would take three or four years to eliminate the group as it takes to the mountains and deserts to stage hit and run attacks and suicide bombings.