Syrian Kurds stole Baghdadi's underpants to track him down for CIA

Two days after US President Donald Trump announced the death of elusive ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a spokesperson of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDR) has claimed that the group stole the dreaded leader's underpants to determine his DNA, which was crucial to the Kayla Mueller operation that chased down the “world’s number one terrorist leader”. 

Polat Can, a senior SDF official, said on Twitter that the group had been working closely with the CIA since May 15 to track down Baghdadi. "Through our own sources, we managed to confirm that Al Baghdadi had moved from Al Dashisha area in Deir Al Zor to Idlib. Since 15 May, we have been working together with the CIA to track Al Baghdadi and monitor him closely (sic)," Polat Can shared on his Twitter handle. 

According to the SDF senior adviser, a group member managed to steal a crucial evidence—Baghdadi's underpants—from his house. This proved crucial to establish the identity of Baghdadi as he frequently changed his places of residence. "One of our sources was able to reach the house where Al Baghdadi was hiding. Al Baghdadi changed his places of residence very often. He was about to move to a new place in Jerablus.  Our own source, who had been able to reach Al Baghdadi, brought Al Baghdadi’s underwear to conduct a DNA test and make sure (100 per cent) that the person in question was Al Baghdadi himself," Polat Can explained. 

In addition, a plan B was also in place in case Baghdadi moved out of his new home. He further added that Baghdadi's aide Abu al-Hassan, who could have been the former's potential successor, was also on SDF's radar. "Terrorist Abu al-Hassan was on a special mission to Jerablus to secure Al Baghdadi’s transfer to his new home. There was a plan B to target Al Baghdadi in his new home if he had moved before the planned strike in Barisha. Abu al-Hassan was closely monitored by SDF intelligence."

As opposed to Trump's self-crediting claim that he masterminded the whole operation, Polat Can said that while the plan to eliminate Baghdadi was plotted more than 30 days ago, the operation was delayed owing to US withdrawal and Turkish offensive against the Syrian Kurds. 

"All intelligence and access to Al Baghdadi as well as the identification of his place, were the result of our own work. Our intelligence source was involved in sending coordinates, directing the airdrop, participating in and making the operation a success until the last minute," the spokesperson clarified via a series of tweets. "All armed groups and elements surrounding the village of Barisha were Daesh (ISIS) terrorists, operating under various names. In the airdrop operation, all their military posts and positions were targeted." 

Polat Can's claims are more or less similar to the version of a few American officials cited by the New York Times in its report. The officials told the newspaper that the Kurds continued to provide information to the CIA on Baghdadi's location even after Trump's decision to withdraw the American troops left the Syrian Kurds to confront a Turkish offensive alone. The Syrian and Iraqi Kurds, one official said, provided more intelligence for the raid than any single country.

While Trump has not openly acknowledged the SDF's role, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday admitted that the US forces were in touch with the Syrian group. We have incredible reach. We can strike anybody, any time, anywhere. The terrorists should be aware of that. They should have seen that now after us doing this multiple times and with regard to your question regarding the SDF we stay in continuous contact with them," Esper said.

On Sunday, soon after Trump's announcement on Baghdadi, Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Kurdish-led SDF, had tweeted about a "successful operation" resulted from joint intelligence work with the US, in an apparent reference to killing of Baghdadi. 

The US forces and the CIA worked on multiple tip-offs, inlcuding from one of his wives and a courier, about the possible location of the elusive ISIS chief. Armed with that initial tip, according to the New York Times report, the CIA worked closely with Iraqi and Kurdish intelligence officials in Iraq and Syria to identify more precisely Baghdadi's whereabouts and to put spies in place to monitor his periodic movements.

As the US Army's elite Delta Force commando unit began drawing up and rehearsing plans to conduct the mission to kill or capture the ISIS leader, they knew they faced formidable hurdles. The location was deep inside territory controlled by Al Qaeda. The skies over that part of the country were controlled by Syria and Russia.

The military called off missions at least twice at the last minute, the NYT report said. The final planning for the raid came together over two to three days last week. A senior administration official said that Baghdadi was "about to move."

Military officials determined that they had to go swiftly. If Baghdadi moved again, it would be much harder to track him with the American military pulling out its troops and surveillance assets on the ground in Syria, it said.

During Sunday's press conference at the White House, Trump said that American forces remained in the compound occupied by Baghdadi for about two hours. The known timeline of events suggests that an initial identification of Baghdadi came almost immediately, but that firm confirmation may have taken a few more hours.