ISIS’s Baghdadi close to selecting his first deputy
IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh–The Islamic State’s supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is apparently mulling the appointment of his first deputy, Alsumaria News reported.
The unprecedented move seeks to ensure the existence of a leader in case Baghdadi is killed, the network added. “ISIS media have started to circulate Baghdadi’s decision,” according to a source who spoke on conditions of anonymity. “Promoting the notion of ‘the Caliph’s successor’ is unprecedented in Mosul, and had always been a sensitive issue that no one could bring up, even ISIS senior leaders,” said the source.
The identity of the upcoming deputy leader will not be announced at present for fear of possible divisions within the group’s ranks over the selection, according to the source.
The first-of-kind announcement is possibly denoting Baghdadi’s feeling of danger as Iraqi joint forces, assisted by US aircrafts and Shia militias, continue to advance to Mosul, making wide-scale victories over ISIS at many parts of the city.
Baghdadi came to the picture when ISIS gained vast grounds in Iraq and Syria starting in 2014, with the proclaimed mission of establishing an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria.