US raises reward for IS chief al-Baghdadi from $10 million to $25 million

The United States has more than doubled its reward for information leading to the “location, arrest, or conviction” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chief of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), or simply the IS.

The United States has more than doubled its reward for information leading to the “location, arrest, or conviction” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chief of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), or simply the IS.

The United States is seeking information that leads to the “location, arrest or conviction” of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (AP File Photo)

The US increased the reward from $10 million to $25 million, the highest bounty on offer. It is also the same amount offered for the arrests of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden.

Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafeez Saeed and Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani Network each carry a reward of $ 10 million.

“Under al-Baghdadi, ISIL has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Middle East, including the brutal murder of numerous civilian hostages from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” US state department said.

“The group also has conducted chemical weapons attacks in Iraq and Syria in defiance of the longstanding global norm against the use of these appalling weapons, and has enabled or directed terrorist attacks beyond the borders of its self-declared caliphate.”