ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi cornered in Mosul as Daesh lose MORE ground in the city
DAESH leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is trapped in the besieged city of Mosul, reports have claimed.




GETTY/ ANADOLUAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to be holed up in Mosul

The terror cult's founder is thought to be holed up with ISIS bombmaker Fawzi Ali Nouimeh – leading the fears the twisted jihadis are prepared to fight to the bitter death to impress their self-proclaimed caliph.

Initial reports suggest the death cult has dug a series of complex tunnels and laid out booby traps to ensure maximum casualties when Iraqi and Peshmerga forces attempt to reclaim the city.
ISIS jihadis spray paint prisoners before blasting them to death

REUTERSThere are fears ISIS could use chemical weapons which were left in Mosul

Hoshiyar Zebari, a top Kurdish official, said he had received "solid" intelligence that al-Baghdadi is in the city.

Mosul was the city where al-Baghdadi declared his sickening caliphate more than two years ago.

ISIS fighters have been battered in the past two days, losing more than than 75 square miles of territory since the offensive began.




Daesh has grown increasingly desperate during the offensive, even resorting to using civilians as human shields and lighting oil pools to create a black cloud of smog so US forces cannot easily target their city using bombs.

There are fears ISIS could use chemical weapons which were left in Mosul after Iraqi forces were forced out more than two years ago.

Gas masks are being prepared by the International Organisation for Migration in the eventuality the terror cult resorts to such underhand tactics.

Battle for Mosul: A major offensive to recapture Mosul from ISIS is under wayMon, October 17, 2016
Iraqi forces are at the start of a large-scale operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) in the country.







Iraqi forces deploy in the area of al-Shourah, some 45 kms south of Mosul, as they advance towards the city to retake it from the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists, on October 17, 2016.



The population of Mosul before ISIS took control of the city was 1.5million people – although the true figure today remains unknown.

Former CIA officer Colonel Peter Mansoor said the result of the battle for Mosul was "inevitable" – which would lead to a crushing defeat for ISIS.

ANADOLUISIS has lost more than 75 square miles in just two days

He said: "The result is inevitable. The Iraqi forces with the help of US air support will end up crushing ISIS but it will be a hard fight for that to happen.

"The enemy has had more than two years to dig into the urban landscape. He's lighting on fire pools of oil to darken the skies and