ISIS leader al-Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States, as head of a jihadist group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, declaring a caliphate.
In July 2014, al-Baghdadi appeared unmasked during a sermon from a mosque in the Isis run city of Mosul.
During his sermon, he declared himself to be the caliph – the political and religious leader of the global Muslim community.
Almost all Islamic religious leaders rejected his declaration, but thousands of foreign fighters and women were attracted by his message
source: express.co.uk
