Lebanese officials capture wife, son, of Islamic State leader

Officials in Lebanon have reportedly arrested the wife of the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While the move may be only a symbolic victory over the Islamic State, which has been on the offensive across Syria and Iraq since early 2014, officials describe al-Baghdadi's wife as a "powerful figure heavily involved in (the Islamic State)."

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The woman is just one of al-Baghdadi's two wives, but one of al-Baghdadi's sons and a daughter were detained as well, though only the wife is still being held.

Security officials detained the two near the Lebanese border with Syria, when they attempted to enter Lebanon.

No names or nationalities of those detained have been revealed, and the actual date of the arrests is unknown.

Still, the symbolic act is very poignant, showing that the Islamic State's leadership is not immune to being taken in by allied powers, and that those who commit these crimes will be punished in the end.

During an interview with CNN, terrorism expert and international security director for the Asia Pacific Foundation Sajjan M. Gohel said that the capture is "certainly a new dynamic because we've never seen anybody connected so close to al-Baghdadi being detained."

But the actions are causing some to wonder for what reason al-Baghdadi's family had for entering Lebanon.

"is he estranged from them? Has he fallen out with them? Were they escaping from him?"

Lebanon is just one of the countries that have been on alert since the Syrian civil war began. Officials worry that members of the Islamic State, or other terrorist groups might use the ongoing violence to sneak into Lebanon.

Lebanese authorities "have been cracking down very heavily on the border to prevent members of (the Islamic State) seeping into Lebanon," said Gohel. "They don't want problems spilling over from Iraq and Syria into their territory."

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