[This article first appeared in The New Republic, October 30, 2019] The elimination of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi amid the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria is exposing an enduring and underappreciated reality of the Middle East: the Islamic State has always had a special relationship with Turkish National Intelligence Office, known by its...
Tag: Abu Bakr Baghdadi
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Telegram-ed to Death Row: Iraqi Intelligence Captured ISIS Leader With an App
The death sentence handed down last month to Ismail Alwan Salman al-Ithawi, deputy leader of the Islamic State, reminded me of the clever intelligence operation that nabbed four other top ISIS commander. Reminder to aspiring spies: Don’t trust your smart phone.