Kurdish Informant Provided Baghdadi’s Used Underwear as DNA Evidence in Raid: NBC

Kurdish-led forces gave the United States key DNA evidence, including ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s used underwear and blood, prior to the raid that targeted him Saturday, the leader of Kurdish forces said Monday in an interview with NBC News. Syrian Democratic Forces Gen. Mazloum Abdi described the source as one of Baghdadi’s security advisers, who proved to U.S. intelligence that he had direct access to Baghdadi by handing over the ISIS leader’s used underwear, and later, a sample of his blood. U.S. intelligence tested the samples and got positive DNA matches for Baghdadi this summer, according to Abdi. He did not describe where the informant obtained the blood from. Abdi added that the informant was able to describe a room-by-room layout of Baghdadi’s compound, including the number of guards, floor plan, and tunnels.