10 pointers: Baghdadi carried a bounty worth Rs 177 Crore from the US Government

The most wanted terrorist in the world, who carried a 25 million Dollar bounty on his head, killed himself over the weekend, confirmed US President Donald Trump on Sunday.

He was reportedly cornered by US commandos in a tunnel during a raid even as the US is pulling out of Syria. US military dogs were set after him and once he reached the dead end, he is said to have activated a suicide vest, killing himself and three unidentified children with him.

Here is all you wanted to know about him:

1. Abu-Bakr-Al-Baghdadi was arrested by US troops in 2004 and spent 11 months in detention in Iraq. Some analysts believe he turned against Americans following the time in the detention camp. Baghdadi was released because the Americans did not think he was of any significance.

2. Released in 2005, he resurfaced around 2010 but gained prominence only in 2014 when he declared himself as the Caliph of the Islamic State.

3. At its peak, the Islamic State controlled a territory the size of Britain and several cities including Mosul which had a population of 14 lakh. It controlled one-third of Iraq and almost half of Syria

4. Islamic State had broken away from Al-Qaeda and became known for its brutalities and televising the tortuous death of its victims. A pilot was burnt alive and filmed by drones. Another victim was drowned in a cage with underwater cameras filming the last minutes. Several American hostages were beheaded but while Saudi Arabia also beheads people, unlike SA, Baghdadi would release the video clips on the Internet.

5. The Islamic State enforced medieval punishments and women accused of adultery were stoned to death, thieves had their arms hacked off. It offended even Muslims by inventing newer forms of punishment.

6. He was born in a large family and had four brothers and several sisters. His father eked out a living by selling sheep.

7. After schooling in Samara, he studied in Saddam University and obtained a Master’s degree and Doctorate on Islamic scriptures.

8. He is accused of having raped a number of women and of using women as sex slaves.

9. He escaped several assassination attempts and the five-year old international manhunt by not trusting anyone.

10. He had stopped using cell phones a decade ago and relied on hand written notes to communicate, although his organisation made extensive use of the Internet.