The Elucidators: Decoding Global News

Episode 12: ISIS Loses Its Head

Episode Summary

On October 26, 2019, American special forces raided the compound belonging to Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi (ABaB), the leader of the Islamic State in Syria’s (ISIS) and self-anointed caliph or head of all Muslims, resulting in an explosive fatality. In this week’s episode, Steve and Soumi delve into who this guy was, where he came from, what he did, how he died, and what might be coming next from the world of jihadism.(Spoiler Alert!)***None of this would have come about without a stolen pair of underwear.Further Reading:FDD: The Battle of BaghdadiWaPo: Baghdadi hid among rivals and enemies in rebel-held Syrian province Daily Beast: How US Commandos IDed a 'Mutilated' al-Baghdadi So Quickly

Episode Notes

On October 26, 2019, American special forces raided the compound belonging to Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi (ABaB), the leader of the Islamic State in Syria’s (ISIS) and self-anointed caliph or head of all Muslims, resulting in an explosive fatality. In this week’s episode, Steve and Soumi delve into who this guy was, where he came from, what he did, how he died, and what might be coming next from the world of jihadism.

(Spoiler Alert!)

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None of this would have come about without a stolen pair of underwear.

Further Reading:

  1. FDD: The Battle of Baghdadi
  2. WaPo: Baghdadi hid among rivals and enemies in rebel-held Syrian province 
  3. Daily Beast: How US Commandos IDed a 'Mutilated' al-Baghdadi So Quickly