After being chased by a tenacious K-9, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, a leading terrorist associated with ISIS is now buried at the bottom of the sea.
Viewed as a significant development, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sees the death of Baghdadi as a boost to the campaign against global terrorism.
Commenting on the killing of the Islamic State leader in a US operation, MFA said terrorism remains a serious threat across the world, including in Singapore.
“As a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Singapore remains committed to fighting global terrorism, including by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,” MFA added.
The ministry added that Singapore stands in solidarity with global efforts to tackle terrorism and the perpetuation of extremist ideologies.
Who is Abū Bakr al-Baghdad?
An Iraqi-born leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Baghdadi was considered a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States and his group was designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN and the European Union and many other individual states. In June 2014, he was chosen by the majlis-ash-shura representing the ahl-al-hall wal-aqd of the Islamic State as their caliph.
Rising to prominence in ISIL after his imprisonment with Al Qaeda commanders at the US Camp Bucca, Baghdadi became directly involved in ISIL’s atrocities and human rights violations. These include genocide of Yazidis in Iraq, extensive sex slavery, organised rape, floggings, and systematic executions. He directed terrorist activities and massacres. He embraced brutality as part of the organization’s propaganda efforts, producing videos displaying mass crucifixions, sex slavery and executions via hacking, stoning, and burning.
Singapore vs. terrorism
Singapore has continuously committed itself to the fight against global terror. To counter the terrorism threat at its source, the SAF has been part of the international coalition against terrorism. The SAF was in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2013 against Al-Qaeda, with close to 500 personnel deployed. Since 2015, the SAF has also deployed units as part of the multinational coalition efforts against ISIS. These deployments included Intelligence Fusion Officers, Imagery Analysts, and a SAF medical team in Iraq. Singapore has also stepped up its information sharing and intelligence cooperation with other countries. The SAF has offered the assistance of its Information Fusion Centre in Changi Naval Base to the Trilateral Sea Patrol in fighting terrorism and curbing kidnappings.