Former ISIS leader's ex‑wife reveals life with Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi
Umm Hudaifa was the wife of the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, for many years. Now, she has decided to give an interview to BBC journalists, in which she talks about the hardships of life with the leader.
8:17 AM EDT, June 10, 2024
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi began his political career in 2014 when he declared himself the leader of the Islamic State. He had previously completed Sharia studies at Baghdad University.
In an interview with the BBC, Umm Hudaifa, the former wife of the leader of the Islamic State, said that he was "religious, but not extremist... conservative, but open-minded." According to her, a key factor in his radicalization was his detention in an American prison in 2004, after which he "became impulsive and prone to fits of anger."
It cannot be ruled out that, like other prisoners in such facilities, "he was subject to sexual violence by American guards." It was after being imprisoned there that he started having mental problems, which, when asked by his wife, he dismissed, explaining that he was in danger and she wouldn't understand it anyway.
From that moment on, their relationship only got worse
In an interview with the BBC, Umm Hudaifa does not hide that she suspected what her husband was getting into. He started growing a beard, dressing in typical Afghan clothes, and carrying weapons. Initially, however, it wasn't easy for her to understand his behavior because since 2007, she had been cut off from the media, and only in al-Baghdadi's absence could she turn on the TV.
I turned on the TV when he wasn't at home,says Umm Hudaifa, who tried to escape from her husband several times.
She was absolutely certain of her husband's role in ISIS only after numerous relocations.
In January 2012, we moved to the village of Idlib in Syria, and it became completely clear to me that he was the emir [editor's note: leader],she says in an interview with the BBC.
The woman tried to stop him, saying he had "the blood of innocent people" on his hands and that he could, among other things, encourage repentance instead of killing.
Hudaifa mentioned that there was even a time when she tried to hack into his computer when she wanted to learn more about her husband.
I tried to hack it to find out what was going on... but I was technologically illiterate and he always asked me for the password,says the widow of the Islamic State leader.
An investigation is currently underway examining Umm Hudaifa's involvement in the organization. Although she insists she had nothing to do with it, she "does not deny that her husband was a criminal" but adds that "she is very sorry for what happened to him."
