How a Kurdish informant brought down the world’s most wanted man
The United States was helped by Iraqi intelligence in pinpointing the safe house of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, but it also received intelligence from a source closer to the elusive militant chief: a Syrian Kurdish informant who breached his inner circle.
The informant was able to gain the trust of the ISIS leader, senior Syrian Kurdish officials said, learning important details about his hiding place, who protected him, where he would be on the night of the US raid and where he would probably flee to if he escaped.
Polat Can, a senior adviser to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, published details of the intelligence work that led to the US special forces raid in which the ISIS founder was killed.
“Since May 15, we had been working with the CIA to track Al Baghdadi and monitor him closely,” he said. “Al Baghdadi changed his place of residence very often.”
He said the informant managed to reach the house where the ISIS chief was believed to be hiding.
“Our source brought Al Baghdadi’s underwear to conduct a DNA test and make sure that the person in question was Al Baghdadi himself,” Mr Can tweeted.
He said the US raid in Idlib was largely the result of SDF intelligence work and that Turkey’s offensive against the Kurds launched on October 9 delayed the operation.
“Our intelligence source was involved in sending co-ordinates, directing the airdrop, participating in and making the operation a success until the last minute,” Mr Can said.
US President Donald Trump, who announced the death of the world’s most wanted man on Sunday, thanked Syrian Kurdish forces for “certain support they were able to give us”, but did not elaborate.
Mr Trump said a DNA field test had confirmed Al Baghdadi’s identity.
He also thanked Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Russia for their co-operation.