ISIL leader tops Iraq's latest list of most wanted fugitives

Government says list 'more dangerous' than first one

An Iraqi man holds printed profiles of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and his deputy Abd Al Rahman Al Qaduli released by Iraq authorities on February 6, 2018. AFP

ISIL leader is among dozens of new names on Iraq’s most wanted fugitives, blamed for supporting acts of terror.

Security authorities on Tuesday published their second list of people wanted on suspicion of, or belonging to, or having affiliation to ISIL, Al Qaeda or toppled dictator Saddam Hussein's Baath Party regime.

Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, who appears on the list under his real name Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali Al Badri Al Samarrai, has been described as the last man standing among the group's founding members.

"They are more dangerous than those who appeared on the first list published on Sunday and they are wanted internationally whereas the others are wanted only by the Iraqi courts," a security official said.

Al Baghdadhi’s deputy, listed as Abdel Rahman al-Qaduli rather than his nom de guerre Abu Alaa Al Afari, is second on the list.

In 2014, at the height of the militant group's power, ISIL controlled nearly a third of Iraqi territory, before being beaten back by security forces backed by a US-led coalition.

Seven other Iraqis are on the list as well as five foreigners accused of ISIL membership, two Saudis, a Jordanian, a Yemeni and a Qatari.

On Sunday Iraq published a list containing the names of 60 wanted suspects, all but one are Iraqi.

It included Saddam's exiled daughter, Raghad, who responded by pledging to take legal action against those who have "insulted her".

The list also features 28 suspected IS fighters, 12 from Al Qaeda and 20 Baathists.

The names on the list are accused of murder, attacks on security forces and for the financing and transport of weapons.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish Regional Government announced on Tuesday that it had detained 4,000 extremist fighters including many foreigners.

Kurdish authorities said those detained include around 1,000 extremists who surrendered during the battle for Hawjia, one of ISIL's last urban strongholds until its fall last year.

The release of the names comes just three months ahead of national elections in the country, where Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi is hoping to remain in office for another term.

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