British special forces on 'kill mission' for ISIS chief

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Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Jan 09 2017 | 6:07 PM IST
Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) alongside US special forces are on a "kill not capture" mission for Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a media report has claimed.
Britain's spy chiefs at MI6 and GCHQ are putting all their resources behind tracking down and killing al-Baghdadi, 'Daily Star' reported.
The mission will be led by top SAS snipers, while covert squads monitor hideouts in Iraq and Syria.
"The head of IS is now a priority target. That means the SAS will be using all of their experience and skill to track him down. He is a dead man walking, it's just a matter of time. He is going to be killed by ground troops or taken out in an air strike or drone strike," an unnamed defence source told the newspaper.
The SAS will work closely with US counterparts, Delta Force, alongside the CIA and the National Security Agency (NSA).
It was a team of SAS and Delta Force soldiers who had hunted down Al Qaeda boss Al Zarqawi in Iraq in 2006.
There have been some reports of Al Baghdadi's death but he was reportedly spotted last month.
The US government has also raised the price on his head from USD 10 million to USD 25 million.

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First Published: Jan 09 2017 | 6:07 PM IST

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