Syrian Kurds took DNA sample from underwear of IS supremo
BEIRUT/WASHINGTON: A Syrian Kurd undercover agent took a pair of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s underwear for DNA identification ahead of the US raid that killed the jihadist leader, a Kurdish official said on Monday.
Polat Can, a senior adviser to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), published details of the intelligence work that led to the US raid in which the Islamic State chief was killed.
“Our own source, who had been able to reach al-Baghdadi, brought al-Baghdadi’s underwear to conduct a DNA test and make sure (100%) that the person in question was al-Baghdadi himself,” he tweeted. He said the US raid was largely the result of SDF intelligence work, although Turkey’s offensive against the Kurds launched on October 9 had delayed the operation.
The US has given the remains Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic customs.
TRUMP TWEETS PHOTO OF MILITARY DOG
The name is still classified but President Donald Trump on Monday outed the military working dog that tracked down the head of the Islamic State. Trump tweeted a photo of a Belgian Malinois that he said worked with a team of special forces in the capture of Baghdadi in a tunnel beneath a compound in northeastern Syria.
“We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi!” he tweeted.
BAGHDADI’S TOP REPLACEMENT KILLED
Trump said on Tuesday the person likely to be first in line to replace Islamic State’s slain leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has also been “terminated.”
“Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot Now he is also Dead!” Trump tweeted. He didn’t name the person, but reports had identified him as Abu Hassan al-Muhajir.