Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Position: Head of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis)

Biography: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi rose to prominence in 2014 as head of the jihadist group Isis, seizing swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria and threatening other Middle Eastern states. His daring advance and brutal application of sharia or Islamic law has drawn the US and its coalition partners back into conflict in Iraq.

Al-Baghdadi was born in Samarra in 1971, and is a former teacher and PhD graduate from the Islamic University in Baghdad. It is believed he was radicalised during the four years he was held at Camp Bucca, a US facility in southern Iraq, and he later became head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

In October 2011, the US put up a $10m reward for information leading to Al-Baghdadi’s capture or death. More than 1,300 airstrikes by Washington and its partners have halted Isis’ advance, but it is expected to take years to eradicate the group, which continues to seek new followers and has built up considerable financial wealth.