US raises reward for info on ISIS leader to $25M

The U.S. is now offering $25 million for information leading to the location, arrest or conviction of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The reward is more than double the $10 million it was previously, and puts the reward for Baghdadi on par with the one for al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri.

“Protecting the homeland and the American people is our top counterterrorism priority, and just as we have intensified our efforts against ISIL, we are increasing the means available to us to gain information on their leadership and bring them to justice,” the State Department said in a press release announcing the new reward, using an alternate acronym for the group.

Baghdadi’s whereabouts are unknown, though there have been various rumors about his location.

He broke a nearly yearlong silence in November with an audio message to his followers that was released as Iraqi forces entered the ISIS stronghold of Mosul for the first time in two years.

Read More- The Hill

Image courtesy of Time Magazine