Wizard of Oz

Baghdad Observer
McClatchey blog

For months now I've been quoting statements by Abu Omar al Baghdadi. He is the faceless leader that declared an Islamic State in Sunni and some mixed Shiite and Sunni areas of Iraq last year. People were forced to pledge allegiance to him or face brutal punishments. His booming voice played in clips on the Internet for nine months. Defiant, he threatened the U.S. troops and the Shiite-led government.

The Egyptian leader of Al Qaida in Iraq, the Sunni extremist group that is believed responsible for many of the bloodiest bombings here, even paid homage to him.

At a U.S. military conference I'm told that he doesn't exist.

The U.S. military says Baghdadi was a deception, to make Al Qaida in Iraq, which is led by mostly foreigners, look like it's controlled by an Iraqi. (Most rank and file fighters are Iraqi)

Is Baghdadi a fake? I don't know.

No one has ever seen Abu Omar al Baghdadi. But Iraqi government officials have claimed to have killed him at least three times now.

(Continued here.)