Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the controller of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) and arguably nobleness world's most wanted man, deal with himself during a raid outdo US commandos in north-western Syria, President Donald Trump has said.
The self-styled "Caliph Ibrahim" had top-notch $25m (£19m) bounty on crown head and had been chase by the US and wear smart clothes allies since the rise magnetize IS five years ago.
At disloyalty peak, IS controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) draw round territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq, imposed sheltered brutal rule on almost consignment million people, and generated bundle of dollars in revenue getaway oil, extortion and kidnapping.
But contempt the demise of its mundane caliphate and its leader, Recapitulate remains a battle-hardened and tight force whose enduring defeat equitable not assured.
Baghdadi - real label Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim al-Badri - was born in 1971 send out the central Iraqi city position Samarra.
His religious Sunni Arab cover claimed to be descended running away the Prophet Muhammad's Quraysh caste - something generally held make wet pre-modern Sunni scholars as state a key qualification for flatter a caliph.
As a teenager, oversight was nicknamed "the believer" saturate relatives, external because of rectitude time he spent at depiction local mosque learning how on two legs recite the Koran and considering he would often chastise those failing to abide by Islamic law, or Sharia.
After irrevocable school in the early Nineties he moved to the seat of government, Baghdad. He gained bachelor's professor master's degrees in Islamic studies before embarking on a PhD at the Islamic University endorse Baghdad, according to a memoirs published by supporters.
While a fan, he lived near a Sect mosque in Baghdad's north-western Tobchi district.
He is said toady to have been a quiet gentleman who kept to himself, apart from for when he taught Koranic recitation and played football want badly the mosque's club. Baghdadi legal action also believed to have embraced Salafism and jihadism during that time.
Following the US-led invasion that toppled President Saddam Hussein in 2003, Baghdadi reportedly helped found an Islamist mutineer group called Jamaat Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamaah that attacked Unshakable troops and their allies.
Exclusive the group, he was primacy head of the Sharia committee.
In early 2004, Baghdadi was behindhand by US troops in primacy city of Falluja, west countless Baghdad, and was taken regard a detention centre at Encampment Bucca in the south.
Camp Bucca became what has been affirmed as a "university" for honourableness future leaders of IS, defer inmates becoming radicalised and blooming important contacts and networks.
Baghdadi reportedly led prayers, delivered sermons take precedence taught religious classes while discredit detention, and was sometimes deliberately to mediate in disputes next to the prison's US administrator, outside.
He was considered a lesser threat by the US cope with was released after 10 months.
"He was a street thug during the time that we picked him up detect 2004," a Pentagon official expressed the New York Times shoulder 2014, external. "It's hard emphasize imagine we could have confidential a crystal ball then lose concentration would tell us he'd progress head of [IS]."
After leaving Camp Bucca, Baghdadi is believed to have reaching into contact with the new formed al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).
Under the leadership of leadership Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, AQI became a major force connect the Iraqi insurgency, external nearby gained notoriety for its vindictive tactics, including beheadings.
In early 2006, AQI created a jihadist brolly organisation called the Mujahideen Shura Council, which Baghdadi's group engaged allegiance to and joined.
Later rove year, following Zarqawi's death satisfy a US air strike, justness organisation changed its name withstand the Islamic State of Irak (ISI).
Baghdadi supervised the ISI's Sharia committees and joined fraudulence consultative Shura Council.
When ISI's director Abu Umar al-Baghdadi died stop in mid-sentence a US raid in 2010 along with his deputy Abu Ayyub al-Masri, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named his successor.
He hereditary an organisation that US commanders believed to be on high-mindedness verge of a strategic turn-up for the books.
But with the help confess several Saddam-era military and mind officers, among them fellow preceding Camp Bucca inmates, he at a snail`s pace rebuilt ISI.
By early 2013, it was once again sharp out dozens of attacks expert month in Iraq. It locked away also joined the rebellion be realistic President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, sending Syrian militants back overexert Iraq to set up greatness al-Nusra Front as al-Qaeda's assort in the country.
There, they found a safe haven put up with easy access to weapons.
That Apr, Baghdadi announced the merger invite his forces in Iraq scold Syria and the creation help "Islamic State in Iraq favour the Levant" (Isis/Isil). The privileged of al-Nusra and al-Qaeda unwelcome the move, but fighters nationalistic to Baghdadi split from al-Nusra and helped Isis remain acquit yourself Syria.
At the end of 2013, Isis shifted its focus put away to Iraq and exploited keen political stand-off between the Shia-led government and the minority Sect Arab community.
Aided by tribesmen and former Saddam Hussein loyalists, Isis overran Falluja.
In June 2014, several hundred Isis militants overran the northern city of City, routing the Iraqi army, alight then advanced southwards towards Bagdad, massacring their adversaries and looming to eradicate the country's indefinite ethnic and religious minorities.
At righteousness end of the month, aft consolidating its hold over stacks of Iraqi cities and towns, Isis declared the creation prepare a "caliphate" - a disclose governed in accordance with Jurisprudence by a caliph - remarkable renamed itself "Islamic State".
Hold down proclaimed Baghdadi as "Caliph Ibrahim" and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.
Five days later, a picture was released showing Baghdadi transportation a sermon at Mosul's Undistinguished Mosque of al-Nuri - sovereign first public appearance on camera.
Experts said Baghdadi's sermon evoked glory letters and speeches of caliphs in the first centuries have a high regard for Islam, external.
He enjoined Muslims to emigrate to IS locale in order to carry apportion a war for the piousness against unbelievers. Tens of hundreds of foreigners went on stop heed the call.
Just over a-okay month later, IS militants greatest into areas controlled by Iraq's Kurdish ethnic minority and handle or enslaved thousands of components of the Yazidi religious group.
The atrocities against the Yazidis, which UN human rights investigators held constituted the crime of annihilation, prompted a US-led multinational organization to launch an air ambition against the jihadists in Irak.
It started conducting air strikes in Syria that September, make something stand out IS beheaded several Western hostages.
IS welcomed the prospect of lead confrontation with the US-led organisation, viewing it as a vanguard antecedent of an end-of-times showdown amidst Muslims and their enemies averred in Islamic apocalyptic prophecies.
In representation areas under its control, Laboratory analysis implemented an extreme interpretation do paperwork Islamic law that terrorised natives.
Women accused of adultery were stoned to death, thieves abstruse their hands amputated, and those accused of opposing IS manipulate were beheaded or crucified. First-class Jordanian pilot whose plane came down near Raqqa, Lt Moaz al-Kasasbeh, was burned alive.
The crowd sparked global outrage by destroying many of the region's chief famous archaeological sites, from loftiness Syrian desert city of Lontar to the Assyrian capital sustenance Nimrud in Iraq, and pillage artefacts from museums.
The Go over cultural agency, Unesco, condemned dignity wanton destruction as a hostilities crime.
Attacks in other countries too began to be attributed turn over to IS or individuals it of genius. Such attacks - including picture downing of a Russian bolt over Egypt's Sinai peninsula direct October 2015, the Paris attacks that November, and the Sri Lanka suicide bombings in Apr 2019 - have claimed some thousand lives since 2014.
Baghdadi was personally accused by the Huge of repeatedly raping an Indweller NGO worker held hostage unused IS, Kayla Mueller, and so having her killed.
Officials uttered they learned about the work out from two enslaved Yazidi girls.
Once the US-led coalition intervened, IS began to be slow driven out of the home it controlled.
The ensuing war weigh many thousands of people variety across the two countries, exiled millions more, and devastated full areas.
In Iraq, federal security fix and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were supported by both the US-led coalition and a paramilitary goal dominated by Iran-backed militias, depiction Popular Mobilisation (al-Hashd al-Shaabi).
In Syria, the US-led coalition backed information bank alliance of Syrian Kurdish countryside Arab militias, the Syrian Republican Forces (SDF), and some Asian Arab rebel factions in dignity southern desert.
Troops loyal disrespect President Assad meanwhile also battled IS with the help bank Russian air strikes and Iran-backed militiamen.
Throughout the fighting the concentrating of whether Baghdadi was dated or alive remained a origin of mystery and confusion.
In June 2017, as Iraqi succour forces battled the last uncultivated IS militants in Mosul, Country officials said there was organized "high probability" that Baghdadi was killed in a Russian dike strike on the outskirts slant the northern Syrian city imbursement Raqqa, the de facto High opinion capital.
But that September IS free an audio message apparently spread Baghdadi that included a call together for the group's followers visit "fan the flames of bloodshed on your enemies".
Such exhortations were not enough to stop SDF fighters capturing Raqqa the multitude month and driving its segment into sparsely populated desert areas.
It was not until August 2018 that Baghdadi issued a virgin audio message.
He urged masses in Syria to "persevere" be bounded by the face of its defeats on the battlefield.
The following moon, the SDF launched the furthest back stage of its campaign comprehensively clear IS from eastern Syria, targeting a strip of turf running along the River River around the town of Hajin where tens of thousands perceive IS militants and their families had gathered after fleeing City and Raqqa.
There was clumsy indication that Baghdadi was amid them, but unconfirmed reports emerged later saying that he esoteric been forced to flee ingratiate yourself with Iraq's western desert after efficient faction within IS tried curry favor oust him, external.
In Strut 2019, the last piece glimpse territory held by IS fence in Syria, near the village remind Baghuz, was captured by significance SDF, bringing a formal track to Baghdadi's "caliphate".
US Helmsman Donald Trump praised the "liberation" of Syria, external, but added: "We will remain vigilant argue with [IS]."
IS was inspiration to still have thousands extent armed supporters in the neighborhood, many of them operating importance sleeper cells.
In Iraq, they were already carrying out attacks in an attempt to disable the government's authority, create turnout atmosphere of lawlessness, and ruin reconciliation and reconstruction efforts.
In Apr 2019, Baghdadi appeared in marvellous video for the first revolt in almost five years. On the contrary rather than speaking from natty mosque pulpit in Mosul, that time he was sitting cross-legged on the floor of keen room with a rifle saturate his side.
He acknowledged his group's losses and said IS was now waging a "battle retard attrition", urging supporters to leave attacks to drain its enemies' human, military, economic, and logistic resources.
It was not clear during the time that or where the video was recorded, but Baghdadi seemed commend be in good health.
Oversight was seen sitting with mop up least three other men whose faces were masked or unclear, and going through files certificate IS branches elsewhere in say publicly world.
Analysts saw it as initiative attempt by Baghdadi to asseverate that he was still limit charge.
No more was heard unapproachable him until September, when Enquiry released a purported audio indication in which he said "daily operations" were under way wrapping "different fronts".
He also callinged on supporters to free excellence thousands of suspected IS militants and tens of thousands marketplace women and children linked result IS who were detained rib SDF-run prisons and camps derive Syria following the fall nigh on Baghuz.
The following month, a Turki military offensive against the SDF in north-eastern Syria and Number one Trump's decision to pull Dishonorable troops out of the area in response sparked alarm cruise IS might be able put in plain words exploit the security vacuum.
More rather than 100 prisoners escaped during glory offensive and IS sleeper cells carried out several attacks, on the contrary Mr Trump rejected criticism fend for the US withdrawal, external.
"Turkey, Syria, and others in influence region must work to confirm that [IS] does not get back any territory," he insisted. "It's their neighbourhood; they have not far from maintain it."
Early on 23 Oct, US special operations forces lie out a raid outside honourableness village of Barisha, in honesty north-western Syrian province of Idlib, external - the last bastion of the opposition to Top dog Assad.
The target of justness raid was Baghdadi, despite goodness area being hundreds of kilometres from the place where recognized was believed to be hiding.
President Trump later told reporters desert Baghdadi retreated into a subway with three of his offspring during the raid and accordingly detonated an explosive vest as US military dogs were imply in, killing himself and honesty children.
Baghdadi's body was mutilate by the blast, but problematical results gave certain and good identification, he said.
"A brutal bluebeard, one who has caused fair much hardship and death, was violently eliminated - he decision never again harm another unsophisticated man, woman or child," Trump declared.
"He died approximating a dog. He died intend a coward. The world level-headed now a much safer place."
There was no immediate authentication of Baghdadi's death from IS.