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raq's Air Force have reportedly hit a military convoy carrying the leader of Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq. A military statement claimed the strike had taken purportedly place in the Iraqi province of Anbar but admitted it was unclear if al-Baghdadi had been killed. It is thought Iraqi jets targeted the convoy as it was travelling close to the Syrian border in Western Anbar today.

Emboldened by its success in Syria and Iraq, al-Qaeda is widening its reach There’s a name that you should remember: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the commander of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), whose fighters now control large swaths of Iraq. There are few photos of al-Baghdadi, and even fewer details about his life are well-known. But as Iraq is engulfed by conflict and the country’s second largest city fell to Sunni extremists, the influence of Islamic terrorism’s newest star is set to grow. TIME’s International Editor Bobby Ghosh explains the danger behind al-Baghdadi’s rise to power, and what...

Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, the shadowy jihadist fighting in Iraq and Syria, and newly declared leader of a “caliphate” encompassing all Muslims, is increasingly seen as more powerful than Al Qaida’s chief. SNIP In October 2005, American forces said they believed they had killed “Abu Dua,” one of Baghdadi’s known aliases, in a strike on the Iraq-Syria border. But that appears to have been incorrect, as he took the reins of what was then known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in May 2010 after two of its chiefs were killed in a US-Iraqi raid. SNIP

Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has transformed a few terror cells on the verge of extinction into the most dangerous militant group in the world. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or Abu Dua was once held by the US in Camp Bucca Iraq. ... Why such a ferocious individual was deemed fit for release in 2009 is not known. One possible explanation is that he was one of thousands of suspected insurgents granted amnesty as the US began its draw down in Iraq. Full title: ISIS Terror Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Was...

The Telegraph reported: The FBI “most wanted” mugshot shows a tough, swarthy figure, his hair in a jailbird crew-cut. The $10 million price on his head, meanwhile, suggests that whoever released him from US custody four years ago may now be regretting it… …Well-organised and utterly ruthless, the ex-preacher is the driving force behind al-Qaeda’s resurgence throughout Syria and Iraq, putting it at the forefront of the war to topple President Bashar al-Assad and starting a fresh campaign of mayhem against the Western-backed government in Baghdad. On Tuesday, his forces achieved their biggest coup in Iraq to date, seizing control...

<p>Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has transformed a few terror cells on the verge of extinction into the most dangerous militant group in the world.</p> <p>Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or Abu Dua was once held by the US in Camp Bucca Iraq.</p>

Image that accompanied Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's audiotape announcing the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The flag was originally al Qaeda in Iraq's banner, but has been adopted by other al Qaeda affiliated and associated groups. Image from the SITE Intelligence Group. The emir of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Abu Bakr al Baghdadi (also known as Abu Dua), has announced a new brand for his organization's efforts: the "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant." The new name replaces all previous brands used by al Qaeda's affiliates in Iraq and Syria, including the...