A son of the leader of Isis was killed fighting Syrian government forces, said the terrorist group.
The death of the young son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared on the group's social media accounts and included a photo. The statement, dated this month, states that Hudayfah al-Badri was an elite fighter, known as "inghimasi", who was killed fighting Syrian and Russian troops in a central central province of Homs.
"Hudayfah al-Badri … the son of the caliph … was killed in an operation against the Nusayriyyah and the Russians at the thermal power station of Homs," the statement said. The word "Nusayriyyah" refers to the Alawite community of Syria, which includes the country's president, Bashar al-Assad.
Badri's death will probably be used by Isis as propaganda to boost morale according to Amarnath Amarasingam, principal investigator "Judging by the photo published by the Islamic State, Baghdadi's son looks very young, and Judging by the way supporters of Isis reacted online, this served as an important propaganda argument for them., "He said The Independent .
"Many supporters said that they were lucky to have a leader who would sacrifice his own son in this way, even if Isis lost territory and even" In other words, he continues the fight, and therefore we should do it too. "
He added," I think the very fact that they did a big deal on that shows that the "
Shiraz Maher , director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR), said the propaganda surrounding the death allowed Isis to "make a living". to double the so-called good faith of Baghdadi as a learned warrior who led this caliphate, who was a leader, who lived with his people. It is always the impression that they have tried to project. "
He added," Mainly, it is a bit of a demonstration of the idea that these guys are willing to sacrifice their own kids. "
Describing the" inghimasi "Mr. Maher said:" These men are essentially kamikaze warriors, they go and launch themselves in the middle of the battle with the enemy and fight to the point where They are killed. "
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in Britain, which monitors the war, said that the most recent Isis operations in the area mentioned were in both first weeks of June.
Baghdadi's whereabouts or wounds are unknown, but the wording of the release "suggests that he is still alive," Amarasingam said.
"It is said, for example, that" Allah is protecting him ", which suggests that he might still be alive, but we do not know where he could be."
Baghdadi said the formation of the Isis caliphate from a mosque in Mosul in 2014, after driving his fighters on a sweep across northern Iraq. weapons factories