The US Department of State has increased the reward for information leading to the location, arrest or conviction of "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to $25 million, the Rewards for Justice programme announced Friday (December 16th).
"The threat that al-Baghdadi poses has increased significantly since the Department of State’s initial $10 million reward ...was announced in 2011," the organisaion posted on its website.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also known as Abu Duaa or Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri, is the senior leader of ISIL.
In June 2014, ISIL seized control of portions of Syria and Iraq, declared the establishment of an "Islamic caliphate", and named al-Baghdadi as caliph.
The ongoing operation to liberate Mosul, ISIL's last stronghold in Iraq, has dealt a strong blow to the group, as evidenced by al-Baghdadi's latest speech to his followers in November.
