US: Al-Baghdadi stayed hidden in battlefield during Syrian civil war

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reportedly in Syria's Idlib province which is deemed as a major battlefield in the Syrian civil war before he was neutralized by US forces. The area is reportedly full of Syrian and Russian warplanes conducting bombing raids to help the government of President Bashar al-Assad recapture Idlib identified as Syria's last rebel-held bastion. Several points on the province are also manned by Turkish soldiers who keep an eye on the region. The area is inhabited by over three million people and it is still unclear how long Baghdadi had been in Idlib or what was his motive there. 

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State of chaos in Idlib

Syrian Government's efforts to capture the region has killed or injured over a thousand civilians since April, according to the United Nations and human rights groups. The offensive has created so much chaos than over 500,000 have fled the fighting in southern Idlib and neighbouring Hama province. Schools and hospitals in the region have also been bombed by Syrian and Russian warplanes. A political activist told media that the people do not have an option. This has left two possible outcomes for the natives - either the Government will take over with military or it will be the extremist rebels who will rule. 

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Terror groups apart from ISIS rule Idlib, Baghdadi was not safe: Analyst

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terror group that began as Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate but took a separate path is the one which controls Idlib now. The group declared its separation from al Qaeda in 2018. Also, some extremists formed another group, Hurras al-Din. Dareen Khalifa, a Syria analyst with the International Crisis Group informed that ISIS has a low-key presence in Idlib as they have formed sleeper cells. The analyst added that Baghdadi was not safe in Idlib as ISIS had been targeted in raids carried out by HTS and was seen as an adversary by other terror groups, including Hurras al-Din. It is still unclear how Baghdadi got into the area. 

Yet the Turkish military has informed media that he had been there for a while, perhaps 48 hours. Another senior State Department official said the media that the area where we were raided is disputed between HTS, al-Qaida-affiliated groups and Turkish-supported opposition. 

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Idlib is horrified over Baghdadi's killing: Activist

Activists in Idlib cite that Baghdadi's killing has created horror for people inferring the possibility that it could lead to follow-up raids or factional fighting. Baghdadi's presence in the area red flag for the entire area, the activist added. Although Syria, Iran, Russia, and Turkey are cooperating to handle Syria, insecurity in Idlib might linger. Assad's government forces are seeking to recapture the province and Turkey, which is allied with Syrian rebel groups, has tried to prevent the Syrian offensive to stop refugees and terrorists from fleeing the region amongst the chaos. 

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