Followers: A still from an ISIS propaganda video. ISIS is more popular than al-Qaeda with many jihadis. The two organisations are in a "sh*tfight", ANU's Dr Mike McKinley told news.com.au. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
HE IS the heir to Osama bin Laden's mantle as the world's most notorious terrorist.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the nom de guerre (war name)of the commander of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), the fundamentalist organisation that has dramatically seized two of Iraq's biggest cities over the past two days.
In an extraordinary tactical success, his jihadist followers are in striking distance of Baghdad, the nation's capital.
DAY OF PANIC: 500,000 flee homes as al-Qaeda splinter group rises
An image grab taken from an ISIS propaganda video. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
But, compared to Bin Laden, he brings a very different personality to his mission.
He is a man of mystery, sometimes referred to as the "Invisible Sheikh".
THE FACELESS MAN OF TERROR
Baghdadi is not the kind of terrorist mastermind who sits in a cave and taunts the world with video messages, as Bin Laden lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri, the current leader of al-Qaeda's core organisation, is known for.
Far from it. Footage of the elusive terrorist is non-existent. There are only two photographs widely circulated of him. One released by the United States — which has a $10 million bounty on his head — another, below, circulated by the Iraqi government this year. He is known by several names, including Abu Du'a and Dr Ibrahim.
Released by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior on January 29, 2014, the photograph is purportedly of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
But while the outside world might not hear much from him, there is a reason al-Baghdadi has garnered so much jihadist support. Counter-terrorism experts attribute his extensive support base to his action-man persona.
Richard Barrett, a former counterterrorism chief at MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service, said: "For the last 10 years or more, (Zawahiri) has been holed up in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and hasn't really done very much more than issue a few statements and videos.
"Whereas Baghdadi has done an amazing amount — he has captured cities, he has mobilised huge amounts of people, he is killing ruthlessly throughout Iraq and Syria.
"If you were a guy who wanted action, you would go with Baghdadi."
HORROR CRIMES
And Baghdadi has certainly achieved things. Just take a look at the broad swathe of land ISIS has claimed across Iraq and Syria.
Picture: News Corp Australia Source: NewsComAu
His brutal tactics are notorious. And according to the Brookings Institution, that's one of the reasons why al-Qaeda's core organisation disavowed ISIS in February. Yes, the organisation is even too brutal for al-Qaeda (plus there's some testy internal political matters).
Life under the ISIS regime can be cruel. In the parts of Syria under its reign, beheadings are a common punishment and unveiled women are harassed on the streets, according to a dossier by The Economist.
Its car bombs have killed scores of Iraqi civilians. "(ISIS) has even opened fire on Syrian civilians protesting against its behaviour," the newspaper wrote earlier this year.
It is little wonder an estimated half a million people fled their homes out of fear when ISIS took over Mosul this week. They may not be the last who run for their lives, chased by the warriors of a mystery man.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
The next Osama bin Laden
Dengan url
http://segarasa.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-next-osama-bin-laden.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
The next Osama bin Laden
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar