IS leader’s death ushers in new phase for the group
Associated PressBEIRUT — One of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s last audio messages was an appeal for his followers to do everything in their power to free Islamic State detainees and the women being held in jails and camps in northeastern Syria. With news of the extremist group’s leader’s death, Kurdish security forces worried about the possibility of attacks or rioting have been tightening security at these facilities, which hold more than 80,000 members and supporters of the militant group, including women and children. Another of al-Baghdadi’s close aides, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, was killed in a joint U.S. operation with Kurdish forces in Jarablus on Sunday, hours after al-Baghdadi blew himself up during a U.S. raid. Syrian Kurdish forces spokesman Mustafa Bali said his fighters believe al-Muhajir was in Jarablus to facilitate al-Baghdadi’s travel to the area, which is administered by Turkey-backed fighters. Forces from the Kurdish-led internal security agency were “on high alert” in anticipation of possible riots in the camps, attacks on the prisons and an increase in “revenge attacks” in northeastern Syria where most of the group’s members and supporters are, the official with the agency said.