UK Edition
'We know where Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is hiding' says Iraqi PM
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is virtually alone in hiding and is being closely monitored, Iraq’s prime minister has revealed.
Haider al-Abadi, who is usually not drawn on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) chief's whereabouts, confirmed that the elusive Iraqi-born jihadist’s location is known and he is being closely surveyed.
He told France24 TV station that Baghdadi has few trusted aides left with so many senior leaders killed in coalition air strikes.
“He’s almost alone at the moment. He doesn’t have many people to trust. He is in isolation, we’re monitoring his movements,” said Mr Abadi, adding that the Isil group chief is keeping a very low profile. “His communication with other terrorists is very low. In many times, it is almost nonexistent.”
When asked if Baghdadi was in the Iraqi city of Mosul, Isil’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq, Mr Abadi smiled but declined to comment.
There has been much speculation as to his location. Iraqi officials have in the past indicated that he was regularly moving between Isil territory in northwest Iraq and northeast Syria.
However, they believe the offensive to retake Mosul has limited his ability to travel.
He has also been reported injured on half a dozen separate occasions, but none have ever been confirmed.
On December 16, the US increased the reward on Baghdadi from $10 to $25 million for information leading to his capture.
Baghdadi, whose real name is Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali Muhammad al-Badri al-Samarrai, has kept a low profile and is not thought to have addressed followers in public since he declared himself the leader of a new Islamic caliphate at a mosque in Mosul in the summer of 2014.
He sleeps in a suicide vest in case he is discovered, Col. John Dorrian a spokesman for the US-led coalition's Combined Joint Task Force in Iraq, said last month.
Iraqi troops have slowly been taking ground from Isil in Mosul since they began their offensive in mid-October.
After retaking the eastern side of the city, soldiers are now poised to enter the western side of the city which is separated by the Tigris river.
The campaign for west Mosul will likely involve far tougher and more complex street fighting because the west's narrow streets mean far fewer tanks and armoured vehicles can be deployed against Islamic State.
The militants are also expected to put up a much fiercer fight in the western half of Mosul because the battle will determine whether their self-proclaimed caliphate will survive.