The hunt for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a headache for the United States and its allies, until they learn from his confidant.

On October 26, a US Delta helicopter carrying a raid on IS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the supreme leader, took refuge on the outskirts of Barisha village in Idlib, Syria, 5 km south of Turkey. Baghdadi activates a suicide bomber belt after being cornered by US forces in a tunnel. The campaign was successful thanks to the United States having obtained information about Baghdadi's whereabouts through some intelligence sources.

In February 2018, Iraqi intelligence was handed over by Turkey, Ismael Ethawi, a confidant of IS leader was captured by Ankara. The man unleashed Baghdadi's hidden tactics such as holding a strategic meeting with commanders while traveling on a minibus carrying vegetables to avoid detection.

"Ethawi provided valuable information to help the Iraqi security forces team complete the missing pieces about Baghdadi's movement and the places he used to hide," an Iraqi security official said. "Ethawi gave us details about how the five men, including him, met Baghdadi in Syria and other locations."

Ethawi, who holds a PhD in Islamic Science, is considered by Iraqi intelligence to be one of Baghdadi's top five aides. He joined al-Qaeda in 2006, was arrested by the US in 2008 and imprisoned for 4 years. After joining ISIS, Ethawi was assigned to Baghdadi by important tasks such as giving religious instructions and recruiting IS commanders. After IS weakened and lost territory in 2017, Ethawi fled to Syria with his wife.

Mohammed Ali Sajet, related to Baghdadi's wife's house, also betrayed Baghdadi, telling the Iraqi authorities about where he could hide in Syria and the messenger for the IS leader. Sajet has been an IS fighter since 2015, captured two months ago by Iraq near Baghdad.

Sajet said Baghdadi "has a sophisticated hiding strategy" and that the security barrier is very tight. One of Baghdadi's hideouts is an underground tunnel filled with religious texts. "He was in an 8 m long underground tunnel with a width of 5-6 m. It has a library, religious books, Quran and so on."

"It has lights and other things so it's good to hide," Sajet added. It is not clear whether Sajet described it as the Baghdadi building raided on October 26.

"I don't think there will be a day," Sajet said of the campaign to defeat IS leaders. "He also doesn't think that one day he will be terminated because he has established strict security measures."

Iraqi officials said they began monitoring the messenger for Baghdadi and his wife after being provided with information by Sajet. The messenger was killed in a raid, but his wife was arrested by Iraqi authorities and interrogated for further information that led them to Baghdadi. Iraq then sent this information to the Americans.

Baghdadi must also flee from local enemies in Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, which controlled many areas in Idlib, sought Baghdadi after receiving his information in the area. The Nusra Front, founded by Abu Mohamad al-Golani, was a branch of al-Qaeda in Syria until the group split in 2016. They and IS are rivals in bloody battles in Syria.

According to a jihad leader in Idlib, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham recently captured a Baghdadi aide Abu Suleiman al-Khalidi, one of the three sitting next to Baghdadi in his last propaganda video. "Khalidi's arrest was the 'key' in the search for Baghdadi," the commander in Idlib said.

His comments suggest that it is likely that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, thought to be related to the Turkish forces in northwestern Syria, may have reported what they had learned to other intelligence agencies.

Baghdadi is believed to have been in Idlib for about 6 months and the main purpose is to hide. Baghdadi can conclude that hiding in Idlib is the best hope after ISIS lost their territory in Iraq and Syria. He infiltrated the people living here while the loose security and checkpoints operated by armed groups seldom searched traffic to increase his chances of survival.

Idlib is the last stronghold of the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, primarily controlled by the rebel coalition against ISIS. However, hundreds of IS fighters are said to remain here.

Baghdadi's home location was raided October 26. Graphics: BBC.

Another turning point in the effort to find the IS supreme leader was US, Turkey and Iraqi intelligence agents earlier this year coordinating the arrest of ISIS members, including four Iraqis and one Syrian. "They opened up all the places they had met Baghdadi in Syria and we decided to work with the CIA to deploy more resources in these areas," an unnamed Iraqi official said.

"In mid-2019, we identified Baghdadi moving from village to village with family and three close aides in Idlib," Iraqi officials added.

The spy in Syria later spotted an Iraqi man wearing a checkered hat at Idlib market and recognized him from a photo. They tracked him down and found the house where Baghdadi was staying. Iraq transfers information to the CIA. They used a satellite and a drone to track the location for the past 5 months.

A few days ago, Baghdadi for the first time left the venue with his family, taking a minibus to a nearby village. "It was his last living moment," the official said.