“While our (Iraqi security forces) heroes focused on securing the elections, their (Iraqi national intelligence services) colleagues were conducting a complex external operation to capture Sami Jasim,” he said, without providing further details of the operation.

Baghdadi was killed in a raid by US special forces in northwestern Syria in 2019.

The US state Department had at the time offered a reward for information leading to the location of Islamic State leaders it identified including Jasim.