Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was the leader of the militant group ISIS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. He was born in 1971 in Iraq and became a prominent figure in the group after its formation in the early 2000s. Under his leadership, ISIS gained control of significant territories in Iraq and Syria, declaring a caliphate in 2014. Al-Baghdadi was known for his extreme interpretations of Islam and his efforts to establish a strict version of Sharia law in the areas under ISIS control. He was killed in a U.S. military operation in October 2019, which marked a significant blow to the group's leadership.