An informant close to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who gave U.S. officials credible intelligence on al-Baghdadi’s whereabouts, will receive some, or all, of the $25 million bounty that the American government placed on al-Baghdadi’s head.
The informant had detailed knowledge of al-Baghdadi’s Syrian safe house and his movements because he worked closely with al-Baghdadi, the Washington Post reported. Though the informant’s identity will not be revealed, one U.S. official who spoke to the Post described the man as a Sunni Arab.
The ISIS turncoat was so close to al-Baghdadi, in fact, that he was present during the raid that resulted in al-Baghdadi’s death. According to the Post, U.S. officials then exfiltrated the informant and his family from the region two days later.
The intelligence asset was initially groomed by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, then turned over to U.S. intelligence officers. – READ MORE