Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of Daesh,* is becoming less important by the day according to a top British Army officer, as reported by Forces.net.
Major General Chris Ghika, who serves as the Deputy Commander-Stability Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, claims that despite "the iconic status" of the self-proclaimed Caliph "we don't really see him as somebody of great importance."
"I am pretty confident Baghdadi will be killed or caught during this campaign," he added.
The Major, who will be returning to the UK after spending more than a year in the Middle East, said the terrorist organisation has "a lot less cash' but still has access to 'enough' weapons and funding. That's why at every opportunity we say to people that this group, despite the end of their physical caliphate, are still a credible threat to security."
He explained that there is an ongoing "refocused effort" by Iraqi Security Forces to crush Daesh in areas where it is attempting to reclaim territory and outlined a potential new direction for the 81-partner Global Coalition against Daesh, involving a "shifting focus" which may not take the same form as current Middle East operations.
"The solution to the fight in those places has got to be different to what's happening in northern Syria and Iraq because the dynamics, the nations are completely different," he said.
When asked about the future of Daesh, Major General Ghika said he hopes their appeal will "go through the floor, as they are militarily, incrementally defeated."
Al-Baghdadi is one the 'most wanted' men on earth and is currently on the run with a $25 million bounty on his head from the US State Department. He released a video in April vowing "revenge" for the group's military defeats.
The self-proclaimed Caliph of Iraq, Syria, and the Levant, was selected by a council to represent the caliphate, which he proclaimed from the balcony of the al-Nuri mosque in Mosul, Iraq, in 2014.
The group starting gaining territory the same year, reaching the outskirts of Baghdad while committing numerous terror attacks throughout the Middle East and in Europe.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia
