[ARA News]
Erbil – The supreme leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not left Mosul despite the start of the US-backed military campaign, Kurdish official and former minister of finance in the Iraqi government Hoshyar Zebari said on Wednesday.According to intelligence reports, al-Baghdadi is still in Mosul along with the ISIS military commander Fawzi Ali.
The presence of al-Baghdadi in Mosul is reportedly meant to raise the morale of his militant fighters in the face of the fiercest military operations on the ISIS’ capital in Iraq.
“ISIS terrorists are under a heavy pressure amid the continuous progress by the Kurdish Peshmergas and the Iraqi army forces towards Mosul city since the start of the operation earlier this week,” he said.
“The radical group in Mosul is being hit from the north, east and south by the coalition forces,” media activist Sipan Saleh told ARA News.
“Under heavy blows by the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army, supported by the coalition’s airstrikes, ISIS won’t be able to hold for long in Mosul. Whether al-Baghdadi is there or not, it won’t matter much. Once the anti-ISIS forces enter the city, a large surge of dissidence is expected to hit the group’s ranks before its complete collapse,” Saleh said.