WASHINGTON: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most wanted man, is believed dead after being targeted by a U.S. military raid in Syria. He urged Muslims around the world to swear allegiance to the caliphate and obey him as its leader. He later assumed control of the group, known at the time as the Islamic State of Iraq. After Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011, al-Baghdadi set about pursuing a plan for a medieval Islamic State, or caliphate. Al-Baghdadi became the declared caliph of the newly renamed Islamic State group.

Source: Pakistan Today October 27, 2019 05:03 UTC