Iraqi army forces capture Baghdadi’s deputy in Al-Anbar

The Arabic-language al-Ma’aloumeh news website quoted Commander of Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi Popular Forces) in al-Anbar province Qatari al-Abidi as saying on Friday that the security forces have arrested Abd Malaji Akil, one of al-Baghdadi’s deputies and close aides, in the town of al-Ratbah in the desert area of al-Nakhib region.

He described al-Akil as the right hand man of al-Baghdadi, saying that he knows his commander’s hideout and his capture could help the operations to trap al-Baghdadi and the ISIL remnants in different parts of al-Anbar province.

Al-Akil was one of the ISIL commanders who has collaborated in killing a number of Iraqi security forces and civilians in desert areas of al-Anbar province recently.

Iraqi sources claimed in February that al-Baghdadi was alive and hiding in Syria behind the borders with Iraq amid contradictory reports about his whereabouts.

“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive and is in Syria,” the Arabic-language service of Russia Today (RT) television quoted an Iraqi intelligence source as saying on condition of anonymity.

The source said that al-Baghdadi had moved along Iraq-Syria border while disguising and in the absence of his armed men or security convoys.

Source: Farsnews