The never-before-told secrets about the life of the IS leader in prison.

Imprisoned in a US prison in Iraq, the supreme leader of ISIS endured torture, but he always used a facade of moderation to plot his bigger plans.

A portrait of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the supreme leader of the Islamic State (IS).

IS supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whose full name is Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai, was born in 1971 in the city of Samarra, Iraq.

He was detained by US forces in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, in February 2004, months after he and his accomplices founded Jeish Ahl al-Sunnah al-Jamaah, a militant group responsible for a series of violent acts in Iraq.

In February 2004, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was detained in the special section of Abu Ghraib prison.

Located approximately 32 km west of Baghdad, Abu Ghraib was once considered one of the world's most notorious prisons. Under the late President Saddam Hussein, it was primarily used to detain rebels who opposed the government. After the fall of Hussein's regime, the US military took over the prison.

There were numerous cases of prisoners being "beaten, mistreated, and sexually abused" at Abu Ghraib prison. According to many reports, torture and executions occurred weekly, and prisoners were treated as "entertainment" for some guards.

Spanning over 100 hectares, with a capacity of nearly 190,000 prisoners, a 4km security perimeter, and 24 guard posts, it was once a terrifying nightmare for thousands of Iraqi prisoners.

In prison, Al-Baghdadi was not referred to by his name but by his identification number, US9IZ-157911CI. In a 2016 statement, the US military acknowledged that the leader of the IS group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had also been subjected to torture while imprisoned at Abu Ghraib prison.

He had to live in extremely poor conditions, crammed with other prisoners in 3.5x3.5 meter cells.

Abu Ghraib prison, with its 4km-long security perimeter and 24 guard posts, was once a nightmare for inmates.

According to Abu Ahmed, another high-ranking IS commander who was captured, Al-Baghdadi's time in Abu Ghraib was when he planned to establish a powerful network of extremist fighters.

Accordingly, despite being tortured, the supreme leader of IS always appeared compliant and used a facade of peacefulness to gain the favor of the prison guards. He won the affection and good relations with the American soldiers. In 2004, the American prison guards considered him a mediator, specializing in resolving conflicts between factions of prisoners and keeping the prison peaceful.

Abu Ahmed recalled: "He always wanted to be the head of the prison. Now, looking back, I realize Baghdadi used a very effective policy of conquest and division to get what he wanted, which was status."

"He was respected by the American soldiers," Abu Ahmed said. "We couldn't visit people in other camps, but he could. And meanwhile, Baghdadi was devising a new strategy right under their noses: building up forces for ISIS."

By December 2004, after months of effort, the prison guards concluded that Baghdadi no longer posed a future threat and decided to release him.

Just 13 months after al-Baghdadi's release, in January 2006, al-Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi group in Iraq allied with other Sunni groups to form the Shura Mujahideen Council, and in June 2006, this alliance renamed itself the Islamic State of Iraq, electing al-Baghdadi as its leader.

According to Kienthuc.net.vn