Why Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the megalomaniac ISIS leader's death is significant

For the major part of this decade, ISIS has been at the forefront of all major terror activities in the world. From London to Paris, from Istanbul to Brussels, ISIS made its presence felt at lengths of the earth. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was the self proclaimed Caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). It was under his leadership that a regional terror group expanded its wings to reach corners of the earth. 

On Saturday, Baghdadi was killed in a top-secret US special forces raid in Syria's Idlib province. Indiatvnews.com takes a look at Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's track record and why his death could be significant in shaping geopolitics in the near future.

Who was Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi?

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been born in 1971 in Samarra, Iraq, 125 Km north of Baghdad. 

Real name of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was Awwad Bin Ibrahim Bin Ali Bin Muhammad, he claimed to be the descendant of Prophet Mohammad. 

Baghdadi came from a family with Salafist religious orientation. He received a bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies from Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah or Islamic University in Baghdad. Baghdadi also possessed a Masters degree in Quranic Studies. Some sources claim that he has a doctorate in Islamic Jurisprudence while others claim that it is in Islamic Education. 

Baghdadi was well versed in ancestral studies and islamic history and because of this he was called 'al failusuf al jihadi' which means -- The Philosophical Jihadist. 

Why Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the megalomaniac ISIS leader's death is significant

After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was affiliated with terror groups which were affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the then world's biggest terror organisation and home to Osama Bin Laden himself. In 2006, he served in the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and was appointed as the leader of ISI on 16 May 2010. Under him, the organisation started flexing its muscles and eventually develop into Daesh or ISIL or ISIS.

Baghdadi was not disconnected from the socio-political and cultural context in Iraq, he was involved in every major Iraq issue for more than 10 years. Baghdadi had several scholarly credentials but he nevertheless endorsed the brutality perpetrated by terrorists in the region. 

Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi through the decade orchestrated several of the biggest terror plots around the globe. Countless innocent died due to attacks and massacres carried out on Baghdadi's word. 

Baghdadi got support from local muslims in Iraq after he surfaced the idea of an Islamic State. The group he commanded -- ISIS -- was brutal and barbaric when it came to implementing the Sharia. 

Al-Baghdadi was also responsible for aggressively propagating the ISIS mentality on social media. One of the reasons ISIS gained the popularity that it did was this, Baghdadi used social media to his advantage and spread the ideology of hatred throughout the world. 

Baghdadi was killed in Syria's Idlib province by special US ops on Saturday. 

(Inputs from a report on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research)

Most Horrific terror attacks carried out by ISIS on Baghdadi's word

Sri Lanka 2019

In Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, a string of eight powerful blasts, including suicide attacks, struck churches and luxury hotels frequented by foreigners. The attacks against humanity killed 259 people, including three Indians.

Philippines Cathedral Bombings 2019

Two bombs minutes apart tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippine island where Muslim militants are active, killing at least 20 people and wounding 111 others during a Sunday Mass.

Paris Attack 2015

A series of terrorist attacks in Paris killed 137 and wounded 368. They involved a series of coordinated attacks which consisted of mass shootings and suicide bombings. This incident was the most fatal event on French soil since World War II.

Manchester Arena Bombings 2017

An explosion struck an Ariana Grande concert in northern England killed 22 people and injured dozens.

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