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Pentagon denies that Islamic State’s caliph has been wounded

Apr 21, 2015 1:59 pm By Robert Spencer

Abu Bakr al-BaghdadiSo the claim that he has been wounded turns out to be yet another false report from the mainstream media — doubtless a projection of their wishful thinking, since the Islamic State is so very inconvenient to them, posing a daily challenge to their narrative that Islam is a Religion of Peace that has been Hijacked by a Tiny Minority of Extremists. An update on this story: “Report: ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was ‘seriously wounded’ in a March airstrike — Pentagon denies,” by Pamela Engel and Michael B Kelley, Reuters, April 21, 2015:

(Reuters)The man purported to be the reclusive leader of the militant Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, during his first public appearance at a mosque in Mosul.The leader of the world’s most dangerous terrorist group has reportedly been seriously wounded in an airstrike in western Iraq, Martin Chulov at The Guardian reports.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy figurehead of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “suffered serious injuries during an attack by the US-led coalition in March,” according to Chulov’s sources.

Two officials, one Western and one Iraqi, confirmed to The Guardian that the airstrike targeted multiple cars in the town of Baaj in northwestern Iraq on March 18.

The Pentagon has denied the report. Defense officials told The Daily Beast that the air strike was not aimed at a high-value target and that they “have no reason to believe it was Baghdadi.” They said there was no evidence then or since then that Baghdadi was killed.

Chulov reports that officials didn’t know that Baghdadi was in one of the cars targeted in the airstrike. He was reportedly staying in that area of Iraq because he “knew from the war that the Americans did not have much cover there,” a source who is aware of Baghdadi’s movements told The Guardian.

Chulov reports that Baghdadi “is understood to have been spending much of his time in al-Baaj, about 200 miles west of the ISIS stronghold of Mosul.”Baghdadi is reportedly recovering slowly but has not resumed day-to-day control of ISIS. Since rising to power as the leader of ISIS, he has operated mostly in the shadows, appearing infrequently on video.

ISIS was reportedly masterminded by a former Iraq colonel in Saddam Hussein’s intelligence services, and the Sunni militant group has a highly structured organization. Baghdadi serves as the religious face of the franchise that evolved from Al Qaeda in Iraq.

“In 2010, Bakr and a small group of former Iraqi intelligence officers made Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the emir and later ‘caliph,’ the official leader of the Islamic State,” Der Spiegel reported. “They reasoned that Baghdadi, an educated cleric, would give the group a religious face.”

After Baghdadi was wounded, ISIS leaders reportedly began scrambling to figure out a succession plan because they thought he was going to die, according to The Guardian. Previous reports about Baghdadi’s death or severe injury have proved false.

Given the dominance of Saddam-era intel officials, ISIS is unlikely to be fatally crippled if Baghdadi is unable to lead….

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Filed Under: Featured, Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) Tagged With: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Caliph Ibrahim


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Comments

  1. Alarmed Pig Farmer says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    It doesn’t matter if Caliph Abu is seriously hurt or even if he croaks. There are plenty more where he came from, plenty of fast breeding Moslima wombs to push out of. Moslems all act by the same script; it is the script that needs to be seriously injured and then put an end to.

    • Nathan says

      Apr 21, 2015 at 4:18 pm

      What’s the time scale from innocent infant to full blown mental islamic jihadi nut job, 20 years?

      That’s a long time between re-enforcements!

      • gravenimage says

        Apr 21, 2015 at 10:01 pm

        Nathan, there are already plenty of adult (I use the term only in its most reductive sense) Jihadists willing and eager to step into “Abu Bakr’s” grimy sandals right now. In fact, there are so many that ISIS may well have a war of succession right off the bat…

  2. Walter Sieruk says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    Be this caliph of ISIS wounded or not not the whole point is the he and his heinous and deadly jihad entity should have gotten this much land ,wealth and ruthless power in the first place, This hideous and brutal ISIS group has gone this far is ,for a large part, the fault of the folly of the arrogant and incompetent Obama with is terrible and awful politic and policies. As explained for example, in the book be Erick Stakeleck which is entitled ISIS EXPOSED which informs the reader on page 24 about Obama that “the advice of his top military commended on the ground, General Lloyd J. Austin III[ who recommended keeping twenty-four thousand U.S troops in Iraq], and other top military officials, president Obama had authorized the complete withdrawal of American troops from the country.” The extreme foolishness of Obama is in great contrast to the wisdom of the teachings found in THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu. For this grand book teaches “He will win who has the military capacity and in not interfered with by the sovereign.”

  3. mortimer says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    Obama and Hillary are completely to blame for their naivety and haste to declare victory. They abandoned the vulnerable Sunnis to the vengefulness of the Shi’ite death squads.

    • mariam rove says

      Apr 21, 2015 at 3:21 pm

      They abandoned the vulnerable Sunnis to the vengefulness of the Shi’ite death squads….

      Hi Mortimer! What you are saying is not quite accurate. As one who born a Shia in Iran, I can tell you that their of sunnis as not being real muslims was thought to us at an early age. That said I have been to city Gonde Ghaboos in norther Iran whose population is mostly Iranian sunnis , they would easily let you know thier hatred for shias as not being real muslims! So who ever is in majority rules and the rest can go f… themselve. So in Iran there are 2 million sunnis who have been marginalized by shias to the point that they are not elected in any office. So in Iraq minority sunnis under sadam shoved to majority shias and it is pay back time. The region in Saudi Arabia where the oil comes from is populated with shias and they are treated like dogs to say the least.m

      • katnis says

        Apr 21, 2015 at 10:08 pm

        Great comment, Miriam! Thanks for sharing your personal experience.

    • gravenimage says

      Apr 21, 2015 at 10:09 pm

      Mortimer, there is no doubt that Obama and Hillary are fools (at best).

      But I believe the murderous Sunni/Shi’ite clash was inevitable with the revival of Islam we have seen in the past couple of decades. Any revival of Islam perforce means not just murderously targeting Infidels, but “heretics” (other sect Muslims) and “hypocrites” (the “insufficiently Islamic”) as well.

  4. Nathan says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 3:45 pm

    But I thought the leader if ISIS was Obama?

    That being said. take the leader out and the next one will be even worse/better. Depends on what side you are on.

    It makes no difference. Dead or alive, ISIS will still be there, being ISIS.

    Every day we get closer to ‘total war’ on them… How many ‘civilians’ are left to worry about? Your people are over here, under our jurisdiction. If all you have left is a wasps nest of islamic nut jobs, then just set it on fire.

  5. JamesonRocks says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    Hmmm… Believe the Pentagon or the mainstream media? What a choice…

  6. Michael V Wilson says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    Why would the Pentagon claim Baghdadi isn’t wounded? Why would they even respond one way or the other, except to secretly cross their fingers and hope he was was slowly and painfully killed?

    When the military starts denying reports of an enemy being wounded or killed, something is fishy.

    • Nathan says

      Apr 21, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      The whole thing reeks of fish… From the war in Iraq to the fishy wounding of Baghdadi.

      Every thing, from the forced immigration of muslims across the world to the supply of arms into the middle east.

      It’s as fishy as this.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vEl6Ey8Gdc

      It reeks!

  7. Maria says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    don’t worry if his been injured his probably been treated in a Turkish hospital like the other isis commander was http://rt.com/news/238713-isis-commander-turkey-hospital/

    funny how the west Turned a blind eye to Turkey treating a isis commander in a hospital

    • Jay Airahs says

      Apr 21, 2015 at 8:57 pm

      Pentagon???

      Isn’t that in the — WEST?
      Where is your buddy Justin?

      Oh yes, he chose to attack on the WEST to hide the Muslima stink on that other article. instead of this one with Pentagon as the very first word.

      Muhammad ( spelled with two ‘M’s) and the stink of Islam can no longer hide behind that diversion sham.

      • Ernie says

        Apr 22, 2015 at 9:32 am

        Dear Jay , Justin and Maria tell their “truth” . Their “truth”is the “truth” because Putin/RussiaToday tells them this is the “truth”. Maria and Justin will never doubt Putin and Russia Today . They know it for sure : We in the West are their ENEMY . Because Putin tells them so . And Putin/Russia Today never lie , because Putin/Russia Today tells them so !

        • Jay Airahs says

          Apr 22, 2015 at 7:59 pm

          That may be true Ernie, but a bigger issue with Justin is Justin’s habit about criticizing the West and America in particular on topics that are very revealing of Islam’s disgrace.
          Why would anyone rant about the West on a topic of Muslims murdering children?
          Justin ignores that Muhammad’s (MUSLIMS) are the guilty party when they do such things with bloodied hands.

  8. abc says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 8:02 pm

    No use. Even if he is killed, there will be some other Baghdadis to take his place and continue to ravage the country.

  9. Jay Airahs says

    Apr 21, 2015 at 10:15 pm

    Abu Bakr al-Bag-lady

    wears a man-dress

  10. BC says

    Apr 22, 2015 at 5:54 am

    Islam is like the hydra monster of classical myth. When you cut off one head another will immediately replace it.

  11. Ernie says

    Apr 22, 2015 at 9:56 am

    Al Baghdadi , will he rise from the dead ? Will he re-appear as the anti-Christ , his right arm withered , his right eye blind ?

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