Baladi News
Isis fighters are furious that their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appears to have melted into the desert rather than take part in their last stand for the caliphate.
As advancing forces close in on the last sliver of Isis territory — an area of about half a square mile in the Syrian Euphrates valley — surrendering fighters have spoken of their anger with the absent Isis leader.
Interviews with Isis members, local leaders, fighters and western officials reveal a deep internal disenchantment with the so-called caliph, which has resulted in schisms within the jihadist group.
“He’s hiding somewhere,” said Mohammed Ali, a Canadian Isis fighter captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). “People were angry.”
Officials believe he could be in Anbar, a desert province in Iraq where Isis leaders have family links.
It's noteworthy that the Islamic State organisation is struggling now in its last enclave in Syrian, where the Syrian Democratic Forces backed (SDF) by the International Coalition wage a military operation against it, which led to the surrender of hundreds of the organisation's fighters after losing all hopes of progressing there.
Source: The Sunday Times.