Isis mole may get $25m for giving up Baghdadi
US commandos zeroed in on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s final hideout with the help of an extraordinarily well-placed informant, an Islamic State operative who facilitated the terrorist leader’s movements around Syria and even helped oversee construction work on his Syrian safe house, according to US and Middle East-based officials knowledgeable about the operation.
The mole’s detailed knowledge of Baghdadi’s whereabouts as well as the room-by-room layout of his sanctuary proved to be critical in the October 26 raid that ended with the death of the world’s most-wanted terrorist, the officials said.
The informant was present during the assault on Baghdadi’s compound in the Syrian province of Idlib, and he was exfiltrated from the region two days later with his family. The man, whose nationality had not been revealed, is expected to receive some or all of the $25 million (NZ$39.3m) US bounty that had been placed on Baghdadi’s head, according to the officials. One official said he was a Sunni Arab who turned against the Islamic State because one of his relatives had been killed by the group.
The Islamic State defector had been cultivated as an asset by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the predominantly
Kurdish militia that became the ground troops for the US-led campaign to destroy the terrorist group’s self-proclaimed caliphate in eastern Syria. SDF leaders then handed control of the agent to US intelligence operatives, who spent weeks vetting him until they were sure he was genuine, the officials said.
A months-long effort to exploit the intelligence breakthrough began in the summer, but only in the past month did the informant’s tips lead to an opportunity to act.
‘‘It was assessed for quite a while that the person might have the key to the lock,’’ said one US official familiar with the matter. ‘‘That only really seriously became clear within the last couple of weeks.’’
The Washington Post previously reported the contributions of a disaffected Islamic State operative in exposing the location of Baghdadi’s hideout. SDF leader General Mazloum Abdi told NBC News that one of his organisation’s informants had helped lead the Americans to Baghdadi’s compound, and said personal items, including underwear, were taken from the compound for DNA testing to confirm Baghdadi’s presence in the building. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House has officially commented on the presence of a highlevel mole inside the mission to kill or capture Baghdadi.
Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answered indirectly when asked Monday whether someone affiliated with the SDF was directly involved in the raid.
‘‘I’m not going to comment on what may or may not have happened with the SDF on the objective,’’ he said. ‘‘The actions on the objective, the aircraft coming in, the aircraft overhead and the soldiers conducting the assault, was a US-only operation.’’
The description of the informant and his contribution was provided by two current and former US officials and a Middle East-based official, all privy to detailed information about the raid. All three spoke on the condition of anonymity.
One official knowledgeable about the informant said the man was a trusted facilitator and logistics aide who was involved in helping Baghdadi move among safe houses in the Idlib area before relocating to the compound where he met his end. The informant provided essential personal details about the reclusive terrorist leader, including the fact that he always travelled with a suicide belt so he could kill himself if cornered. – Washington Post