Who was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?

Baghdadi was born Ibrahim Awad al-Samarrai in 1971 near the Iraqi town of Samarra, as the third of four sons to a Quran teacher who claimed to be a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad.

Apparently a quiet young man who studied Islam and played football, he became one of the most wanted men in the world when in 2014 he declared from Mosul's al-Nuri Mosque that he was ruler of all the land IS had conquered in Syria and Iraq.

Under his leadership, Islamic State murdered thousands and terrorised millions across the world. Middle East Eye takes a look at the now-dead militant here: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The 'loner' who became leader of Islamic State