Iraq crisis: the jihadist behind the takeover of Mosul - and how America let him go

The Telegraph ^ | 6/11/2014 | Colin Freeman

[mojito]

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.

Taken during his years as a detainee at the US-run Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, this is the only known photograph of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria. But while he may lack the photogenic qualities of his hero, Osama bin Laden, he is fast becoming the new poster-boy for the global jihadist movement.

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 of government buildings in Mosul, the country's third biggest city.

[....]

Some describe him as a farmer who was arrested by US forces during a mass sweep in 2005, who then became radicalised at Camp Bucca, where many al-Qaeda commanders were held. Others, though, believe he was a radical even during the largely secular era of Saddam Hussein, and became a prominent al-Qaeda player very shortly after the US invasion.

[....]

Why such a ferocious individual was deemed fit for release in 2009 is not known.

[DPMD]

Actually, he will force someone else to set off a suicide vest. The jihadist leaders prefer having their virgins in this world.

[Tzimisce]

We would have let him go anyway.

[GraceG]

Why such a ferocious individual was deemed fit for release in 2009 is not known.

.....

Obama????

[1010RD]

Who was President or CIC four years ago?

[TomasUSMC]

FIGHT LIKE WW2, WIN LIKE WW2. FIGHT LIKE NAM, FINISH LIKE NAM.

Iraq was lost and over when we allowed them to mandate in their Constitution...NO LAW SHALL CONTRADICT ISLAM.

When will we learn?

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I’m mentally writing a column, which I tossed to my wife for comment, saying that Obama is a Transgendered Marxist Moslem (had to cover all bases).

Throws a baseball like a girl, tries to feel up some European woman leader and Sgt. Bergdahl’s mother, hired a ballerina as his top political advisor (Rahm Emanuel), and let’s Valerie Jarrett dictate his policies.

Meanwhile, he helps the Moslem Brotherhood, betrays Israel, supports Hamas/PLA, retreated from Iraq, has cut off drone strikes against Al Qaeda/Taliban in Pakistan, allowed the stopping of production of the anti-Terrorist A10 Warthog aircraft, is sinking our Navy while Red China is expanding theirs, and has allowed KGB-Putin to dismember Christian Ukraine.

Had Rev. Wright as his America-hating, Cuba-loving black reparationist/marxist, half Christian, half-Moslem spiritual advisor.

Admired and follows Saul Alinsky, a marxist who dedicated his book “Rules for Radicals” to Lucifer.

And that is only for a beginning.

Are we detecting a pattern here, or is that just my fertile imagination?

You know the rest of his faint-hearted cowardice.

[VerySadAmerican]

I’m not a big fan of W but he was right about capturing Obama not being important. He’s supposedly dead and buried at see but the terrorists are only getting stronger.

[lee martell]

I’ve been asking that exact same question for many years for many reasons.