ISIS Boss Baghdadi ‘Trapped’ in Mosul
Self-styled Khalifa of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is trapped in ISIS haven of Mosul. Sources said Al Baghdadi has been hiding in the besieged stronghold, encircled by the Iraqi army and allied militias. This was stated by senior Kurdish commander Fuad Hussein.
He also said Al Baghdadi has been lying low for the past nine months, but is alive and kicking.
"Baghdadi is there and, if he is killed, it will mean the collapse of the whole IS system," Hussein said, pointing to the vulnerability of Islamic State's command structure, which has no suitable replacement for Baghdadi.
According to Hussein, the IS leader has had to completely rely on other militant commanders in Mosul and the nearby city of Tal Afar, a largely Turkmen-populated city in the Nineveh Province.
"It is obvious that they will lose, but not how long this will take to happen," he said, adding that the timeline of the battle for Mosul will be determined by several variables.
On Tuesday, soldiers from Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service seized control of the state television station in the Gogjali neighbourhood, making it the first major building in the city to be recaptured from IS.
