a b c Schmitt, Eric; Cooper, Helene; Barnes, Julian E. (October 27, 2019). "Trump's Syria Troop Withdrawal Complicated Plans for al-Baghdadi Raid". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019 . Retrieved October 27, 2019. Fedschun, Travis (November 13, 2019). "Baghdadi's compound in Syria had Internet until day of deadly US raid, report says". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019 . Retrieved November 14, 2019. Baghdadi’s newly-minted scholarly credentials as well as the work he had done managing the Islamic State’s religious affairs brought him to the attention of Masri, who appointed him supervisor of the Sharia Committee, hence the enforcer of all the Islamic State’s religious strictures. Masri also named him to the 11-member Consultative Council. The council ostensibly advised the emir, Abu Umar, but was actually controlled by Masri, whose support came from his fellow foreign jihadists. When Baghdadi joined the council, the Iraqi members were growing restless and had rallied around their countryman Abu Umar, hoping for a greater say in the decision-making. Soon after, in February 2004, Baghdadi was arrested in Fallujah while visiting a friend who was on the American wanted list. He was transferred to a detention facility at Camp Bucca, a sprawling complex in southern Iraq. Prison files classified him as a “civilian detainee,” which meant his captors didn’t know he was a jihadist. On December 8, 2021, NPR filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against the U.S. Department of Defense, alleging that the Pentagon failed its legal obligation to provide documents of the investigation and respond to Freedom of Information Act requests in a timely manner. [71] It obtained a redacted copy of the report of the Department of Defense in July 2023, verifying that the two people killed near the van during the raid were civilians and the U.S. military only fired warning shots seconds before targeting it. [10] Analysis [ edit ]

That has already been prefigured in Syria where, this year, during his last big play to merge with Jabhat al-Nusra, other rebel groups complained that Isis and Baghdadi were more interested in consolidating its rule over captured towns as part of Baghdadi's plan to establish his own rule than fighting Assad. a b El Deeb, Sarah (November 5, 2019). "In last days, al-Baghdadi sought safety in shrinking domain". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019 . Retrieved November 5, 2019.a b c "Video Shows Special Forces in al-Baghdadi Raid". Warfare Today. October 31, 2019. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019 . Retrieved December 18, 2019. The U.S. operation was named for Kayla Mueller, an American aid worker who had been captured by and died whilst in the custody of the Islamic State (IS).

Zawahiri was born in Maadi, a comfortable suburb of Cairo, in the year before the Free Officers overthrew the Egyptian monarchy in 1952. His father, Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri, was a professor of pharmacology at Cairo University. His mother, Umayma Azzam, came from a political family. Ayman’s paternal grandfather had been grand imam of al-Azhar University, the world’s most respected seat of Sunni Muslim learning. His uncle chaired the Egyptian Labour party and his grand-uncle Abdel-Rahman Azzam was the first secretary-general of the Arab League. However, in 2004, al-Baghdadi was detained by US forces and held in both the controversial Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca detention centers. He reportedly spent more time in Abu Ghraib, which later became a symbolfor torture committed by American forces in Iraq. He was released later that year with a large group of low-level prisoners.Morrison, Sean (October 30, 2019). "Footage shows moment US troops storm ISIS leader's compound". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019 . Retrieved October 31, 2019. The council elected the new emir of the Islamic State by a vote of 9 to 2. It was then that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, at the age of 39, took his now-famous nom de guerre, a double homage to his faith and his native land. Abu Bakr was Muhammad’s father-in-law and, after the Prophet’s death, the first caliph; Baghdad was the capital of the grandest caliphate in early Islam, the Abbasid dynasty. The Abbasids had swept to power in the eighth century using clever apocalyptic propaganda and clandestine networks to mobilize popular anger against the ruling regime in Damascus. Baghdadi was clearly hoping to repeat the performance on the same stage.