Notorious Daesh Leader al-Baghdadi Speculated to Be in Afghanistan - Reports

The claims made by "respected security expert" Zaid Hamid come after late last month, the notorious leader of the Daesh* terror group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, made his first appearance in five years.

Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is allegedly hiding in a distant region of Afghanistan, The Sun claims, citing Zaid Hamid, who is a co-founder of the BrassTacks threat analysis think-tank. 

The speculation about the famous terrorist's whereabouts was made after a propaganda video featuring the Daesh leader was published. 

"Note the style of the bedding & the pillows….Is he already in Afghanistan?," Zaid Hamid pointed out, further suggesting that al-Baghdadi is in the Khorasan Province. 

The speculation come after on 29 April, numerous media outlets reported that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his first appearance, after five years of absence, in a video in which he acknowledges the defeat of the terrorist group's fighters in the battle for Baghouz last month.

The video was reportedly filmed earlier in April, however, the authenticity of the video itself is yet to be verified. Earlier, US Army spokesman Col. James Rawlinson told Sputnik that the US-led coalition is working on corroborating the authenticity of the video.

In recent years, Baghdadi's death has been reported multiple times, however, the terrorist leader has re-emerged time and time again.

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In June 2017, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Baghdadi might have been killed as a result of a strike by the Russian Aerospace Forces on 28 May that year in the southern suburbs of Raqqa. However, an alleged audio recording of Baghdadi emerged later in 2017, provoking fresh doubt over whether the terrorist leader was dead or alive.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organisation outlawed in Russia and many other countries.