by WorldTribune Staff, July 4, 2018
The son of Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in battle in Syria, the terror group said in a statement through its official channels.
Hudhayfah al-Badri, believed to have been around 18-years-old, died in Homs province while fighting against Russian forces and Assad regime troops, the statement said.
The statement, which has also surfaced as a graphic online, appears to depict someone identified as Badri carrying a firearm and describing him as a martyr.
The statement says Badri was killed in an “inghimasi operation against the Nusayriyyah and the Russians at the thermal power station in Hims Wilayah.”
The Long War Journal describes inghimasis as “well-trained guerrilla fighters who are prepared to die in battle” but try to fight and kill as many people as possible with weapons before conducting a suicide bombing or attack.
“Hims Wilayah” appears to be a reference to Homs province, according to Long War Journal: “The Islamic State has repeatedly clashed with Syrian and Russian forces in Homs province and elsewhere. The two sides have fought for control of the ancient city of Palmyra (which has changed hands multiple times), natural gas fields, and military bases. The Islamic State also claims to have downed a Russian helicopter near Palmyra.”
Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi historian, told The Telegraph that Badri was the son of Baghdadi and his first wife, an Iraqi woman named Asmaa Fawzi Mohammed al-Kubaisi.
Baghdadi remains the world’s most wanted man and the U.S. is offering a $25 million reward for information leading to his death or capture. He is believed to be hiding in a remote area near the Iraq-Syria border.
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