The ex‑wife of ISIS leader reveals untold struggles in a rare BBC interview

Umm Hudaifa was the wife of the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, for many years. Now, she has decided to give a BBC interview in which she talks about the hardships of life with the leader.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi began his political career in 2014 when he declared himself the leader of the Islamic State. He had previously completed Sharia studies at Baghdad University.

In an interview with the BBC, Umm Hudaifa, former wife of the leader of the Islamic State, said that he was "religious but not extremist… conservative but open minded". According to her, a critical factor in his radicalization was his detention in an American prison in 2004, after which he "became short tempered and given to outbursts of anger."

It cannot be ruled out that, like other prisoners in such facilities, "during his detention he was subjected to sexual torture." It was after being imprisoned there that he started having mental problems, which, when asked by his wife, he dismissed, explaining that he was in danger and she wouldn't understand anyway.

In an interview with the BBC, Umm Hudaifa does not hide that she suspects what her husband is getting into. He started growing a beard, dressing in typical Afghan clothes, and carrying weapons. Initially, however, it wasn't easy for her to understand his behaviour because since 2007, she had been cut off from the media, and only in al-Baghdadi's absence could she turn on the TV.

I used to turn it on when he wasn’t at home – says Umm Hudaifa, who tried to escape from her husband several times.

She was absolutely certain of her husband's role in ISIS only after numerous relocations.

We moved to the Idlib countryside in Syria in January 2012, and there it became absolutely clear to me that he was the emir [leader] – she says in an interview with the British BBC.

The woman tried to stop him, saying he had "the blood of those innocent people" on his hands and that he could, among other things, encourage repentance instead of killing.

Umm Hudaifa mentioned that there was even a time when, wanting to learn more about her husband, she tried to hack into his computer.

I tried to break into it to find out what was happening [...] but I was technologically illiterate and it always asked me for a passcode – says the widow of the Islamic State leader.

An investigation is currently underway examining Umm Hudaifa's involvement in the organization. Although she insists she had nothing to do with it, she doesn't "deny that my husband was a criminal" but adds that she is "very sorry for what happened to them".