The Islamic State group has lost all territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria, but its shadowy leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still at large.
FILE - This image made from video posted on a militant website July 5, 2014, purports to show the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq during his first public appearance. President Donald Trump declared victory over the Islamic State group in Syria in a tweet Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, but the militants remain a deadly force, and U.S. partners warn a premature U.S. withdrawal will allow them to storm back.
He is among the few senior IS commanders still at large after two years of steady battlefield losses that saw the self-styled “caliphate” shrink from an area the size of Britain to a tiny speck in the Euphrates River valley. Mohammed Kheder, co-founder of the Sound and Picture group which documents IS, said the last time al-Baghdadi was spotted in the area was about 15 months ago, citing sources on the ground and the testimony of the people who left the area.
Another official, a colonel, said the Americans recently targeted some of al-Baghdadi’s closest people, including his personal bodyguard Khaled al-Saudi — known as Khallad — who was killed last week near the area of al-Baaj along the Iraqi-Syrian border. After Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011, al-Baghdadi dispatched comrades to the neighboring country to create a like-minded Sunni extremist group there. The group, which came to be known as the Nusra Front, initially welcomed moderate Sunni rebels who were part of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
ISIS has lost all its territory in Syria, White House declares as fighting continuesAll Islamic State-held territory in Syria has been “100%” eliminated, the White House announced Friday, though officials said sporadic fighting continues between coalition forces and the group’s holdouts.
Lire la suite »
Explaining the ifs and buts of Turkey's municipal electionsThe pre-poll alliances have emerged for the upcoming municipal elections, following the pattern of a similar alliance in 2017 when Turkish citizens voted to change the country's parliamentary system into a presidential one.
Lire la suite »
White House: Islamic State territory in Syria eliminatedABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — The White House says that all Islamic State held territory in Syria has been'100 percent' eliminated. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters...
Lire la suite »
White House: Islamic State territory in Syria eliminatedABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — The White House says that all Islamic State held territory in Syria has been'100 percent' eliminated.
Lire la suite »
Mortgage rates are breaking to new lower territory, and they could stay there for monthsThe average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage is falling again today, as investors rush into the bond market. Mortgage rates loosely follow the yield on the 10-year Treasury. Lower rates area already igniting home buying.
Lire la suite »
Biogen loses same Alzheimer’s bet others have lostThe failures of similar drugs in formal trials meant Biogen’s effort was always a long shot. Yet ditching it vaporized $18 bln, or over a quarter, of the biotech’s value. The giant market for a therapy and the fear of missing out lured in both the company and Wall Street.
Lire la suite »
What came first: all-seeing gods or large societies?A search for the origin of religions
Lire la suite »
8 comically large items you can buy at CostcoFrom three-pound lobster claws to seven-pound tubs of Nutella, Costco sells some ridiculously large products
Lire la suite »
Ford Boosts Large SUV Output, Going All In On Bigger Is Better For Now
Lire la suite »
Large fire at Houston chemical plant expected to burn for daysThe fire erupted Sunday at Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park. Authorities said Monday it will likely burn for another two days.
Lire la suite »