The Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, survived a coup attempt last month launched by foreign fighters in his eastern Syrian hideout, intelligence officials believe, and the terrorist group has since placed a bounty on the main plotter’s head. Regional intelligence officials say a planned move against Baghdadi led to a firefight between foreign fighters and the fugitive terrorist chief’s bodyguards, who spirited him away to the nearby deserts. Isis has offered a reward to whomever kills Abu Muath al-Jazairi, believed to be a veteran foreign fighter, one of an estimated 500 Isis fighters thought to remain in the area. Facebook Twitter Pinterest US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters near the last Isis-held territory. And Isis is believed to have raised its flag – albeit briefly – in parts of Mosul and the nearby Nineveh plains.

Source: The Guardian February 07, 2019 18:40 UTC