ISIS leader al-Baghdadi ‘flees Iraq for Syria in yellow taxi’ as caliphate crumbles

The barbaric extremist chief escaped to Syria, leaving his brainwashed supporters behind to die, the Iraqi Media News Agency reported.

He escaped from Rawa near the Syrian border as troops reclaimed Qaim, the Islamic death cult’s last major stronghold in Iraq.

Bizarrely, it is claimed the 46-year-old chose the brightly-coloured cab to avoid suspicion.

An intelligence source told the agency: “After Iraqi troops invaded Qaim, Baghdadi was aware that his presence in Rawa threatens his life.

“In a yellow taxi, Baghdadi fled Iraq and headed to Syria. He is believed to have settled in Deir al-Zor.

“The IS leader insisted on taking a yellow cab in order not to be a source for doubts.”

The source claimed he instructed followers to continue fighting but many of them had also fled.

It comes after ISIS released an audio recording of their leader in a bid to disprove Russian claims he had been killed in an airstrike.

He referred to the “nearly year-long fight for Mosul” and referenced recent Syrian battles in the 46-minute tape. 

Al-Baghdadi has only ever made one public appearance, proclaiming himself the caliphate’s leader in July 2014 from the pulpit of the Grand Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul.

The latest development came as ISIS finally faced defeat, being driven out of Qaim in Iraq and Deir al-Zor in Syria.

But there are now fears the leader could lead his remaining followers as a guerrilla force, waging deadly attacks without the need to defend their own territory.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar Abadi announced on Friday that forces had captured Qaim within hours of arriving.

Mr Abadi congratulated his forces for retaking al-Qaim “in record time”.

Earlier in the day, they seized the border checkpoint on the road to Albu Kamal in Syria.

Iraq has been carrying out its final campaign to crush the Islamic State caliphate while also mounting a military offensive in the north against Kurds who held an independence referendum in September.