Published 11:23 IST, October 28th 2019
Islamic State Chief Baghdadi's top aide was key to his elimination
Iraqi officials have claimed that Ismael al-Ethawi, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi's top aide, was a key figure to the operation to eliminate the Islamic State Chief
Iraqi officials on October 27 said that a top aide to Baghdadi, Ismael al-Ethawi was the key to track the wanted terrorist after all these years on October 26. The aide reportedly gave them information on how he escaped capture for so many years. Ismael confessed that Baghdadi would hold strategic talks with his commanders in moving mini-buses packed with vegetables in order to avoid detection. The aide was arrested by Turkish authorities and handed to the Iraqis.
Officials said the media that Ethawi gave valuable information which helped the Iraqi multi-security agencies team complete the missing pieces of the puzzle of Baghdadi's movements and places he used to hide.
Ethawi led Iraqi officials and CIA to Baghdadi
Details of a total of five men including him were given by Ethawi who used to meet Baghdadi, officials added. All of them used to meet the IS leader in Syria and the different locations which could be traced following Ethawi's details. Following this, Iraqi officials reportedly decided to coordinate with the CIA to deploy more sources inside these areas. This year, Iraqi officials CIA jointly managed to locate Idlib as the place where Baghdadi was moving from village to village with his family and three close aides. Officials further said that the deployed informants spotted an Iraqi man wearing a checkered headdress in an Idlib marketplace and recognised him from a photograph as Ethawi. Just then they followed him which led them to Baghdadi's home. These details were sent to the CIA and they used a satellite and drones to watch the location for the past five months, the officials explained. On October 25, Baghdadi left the location with his family for the first time, travelling by minibus to a nearby village which later proved to be his last day to live, the official concluded.
Ismael al-Ethawi and his involvement with as Qaeda
It was a strategic move to turn militants like Ethawi into critical agents to track Baghdadi. The former top aide reportedly holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Sciences and was considered by Iraqi intelligence officials to be one of the leader's top five aides. His involvement with terrorist groups began in 2006 when he joined Al Qaeda. This is not the first time that Ethawi has been held. He was earlier arrested by US forces in 2008 and jailed for four years, according to the Iraqi security officials. Since his release in 2012, Ethawi reportedly delivered religious instructions and selected Islamic State commanders. In 2017, he fled to Syria with his Syrian wife as Al Qaeda collapsed. Turkish and Iraqi intelligence agents also captured senior Islamic State leaders, including four Iraqis and one Syrian earlier this year, the officials said the media.
(With inputs from agencies)
Updated 13:39 IST, October 28th 2019