The Iraqi judiciary presented the confessions of Sami Jassem al-Jubouri, deputy leader of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State, in which he revealed many secrets, information and activities of the organization during its control over parts of Iraq between 2014 and 2017.

A statement by the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council stated today, Sunday, that the arrest of al-Jubouri came after a difficult intelligence operation led by Iraqi officers that lasted about 6 months, as he was lured through several European cities, to finally end up in the grip of the Iraqi intelligence service outside the borders, last October.

Al-Jubouri was not only al-Baghdadi’s deputy, but he was the most important pillar of the organization’s building, and the “money man” who exploited the oil reserves in both Iraq and Syria.

Regarding al-Jubouri’s biography, the statement clarified that he was born in 1974 from the village of al-Sharqat in Salah al-Din Governorate (northern Iraq), and was nicknamed “Haji Hamid” or “Abu Asia.”

In 2004 he joined the so-called "Movement of Unity and Jihad", accused of carrying out several bombings against security forces and civilian sites as well. Then he joined al-Qaeda until he joined the Islamic State, which headed its most important institutions and bureaus and managed its financial budgets.

During his confession, al-Jubouri spoke about the treasury and its responsibility for preparing the expenses of striking the Iraqi and Syrian security forces and the rewards for the booby-trapped operations, as well as his statement of the administrative divisions of the organization.

Al-Baghdadi appointed al-Jubouri as his deputy after al-Jubouri left Iraq (communication sites)

Al-Baghdadi ordered his death

During his confession, al-Jubouri pointed out that al-Baghdadi ordered his killing in 2013, accusing him of working with Jabhat al-Nusra. However, after the intervention of a number of leaders and his recommendation, al-Baghdadi pardoned him and attached him to the finance joint in the state of Nineveh and appointed him as a money collector.

Regarding the declaration of the caliphate in July 2014, al-Jubouri said that al-Baghdadi attended the al-Nuri mosque in Mosul with Abdullah Qardash and a number of leaders, and ascended the pulpit declaring himself the caliph of the Muslims.

He added that after the announcement, al-Baghdadi left for an unknown destination, and after his departure, the leaders issued a directive to establish security control in the states and start establishing the bureaus to create an administrative structure for the organization, and establish the bureaus of the judiciary, soldiers, education, health, lawsuit, hisbah, bayt al-mal, al-Raqaz, zakat and spoils.

Al-Jubouri indicated that during the control of ISIS, he was appointed in charge of the Diwan Al-Rikaz, which is concerned with oil production and sale, pointing out that the organization was controlling the Qayyarah and Alas fields of Iraq and the fields of Al-Tanak, Omar, Al-Shoula, Sa’ia, and the Syrian Konaco.

He stated that the produced oil was sold to factories and small refineries, and that part of it was smuggled abroad, and part was sold on the black market through a port within the controlled lands in Syria at ($180) per ton.

He pointed out that the organization's revenues from selling oil amounted to more than one billion and a quarter billion dollars annually, which were handed over to the Bait Al-Mal office for disposal.

In his confessions, al-Jubouri indicated that he was in constant contact with al-Baghdadi, and that he met him 3 times until 2016, twice in Nineveh Province and once in Syria.

He stated that after the killing of the official in charge of the Bait Al-Mal Abu Ali Al-Anbari in an American raid in 2016, Al-Baghdadi appointed him as Emir of the House of Money, and he became close and in constant contact with the higher leadership through his work distributing the states’ budget and following up on financial matters, and he pointed out that when he assumed responsibility, he was in the treasury. 250 million A dollar and 3,000 kilograms of gold are stored and distributed in homes and tunnels under the command of a number of Bayt al-Mal employees, referring to most of it from oil exports and the other part of the spoils obtained from organizing operations, royalties, and kidnappings.

He added that he ordered the minting of a gold coin, and that an (Islamic dinar) was issued, made of pure gold, to be used in trading and buying and selling operations in the controlled lands.

He said that Diwan al-Jund employees were provided with more than 30,000 dollars for each car bomb.

A picture of the arrest of al-Jubouri last month (Iraqi press)

He stated that he fled with a number of fighters from Al-Qaim after an Iraqi army attack, heading to Syria, where he met Al-Baghdadi and Hajji Abdullah Qardash to consult on his appointment as deputy emir. and its mechanism of action.

He added that when things narrowed for them in Syria in 2018, many of the organization's fighters fled, and said that he sent his four wives and family members to a neighboring country, and after a while he joined them.

After his arrival, he took security measures to disguise himself by changing his appearance and buying sewing machines as a cover for his work, especially after allocating a reward of $ 5 million for anyone who helps in his arrest.