Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Isis leader who remains free while his caliphate is in its death throes, is “yesterday’s man who is not a particularly relevant person anymore”, according to the deputy commander of US led international forces in Syria and Iraq.

But Major General Chris Ghika, the most senior British officer with the coalition, warned that it would be a mistake to think that the Islamist group is “leaderless and rudderless” and wanted to stress that new leaders are emerging “to take over the mantle” and continue on a terrorist war of attrition.

“I don’t know where Baghdadi is, if I knew where he was I would do something about it. I think he might be in Iraq or Syria, he might be outside the area,” said the commander.

“The new leaders are less experienced, less capable than the people of years ago: those people have been killed or captured.

“The organisation is weaker, but there are still people there to take on the leadership function as we have seen many times in organisations such as these, and the organisation is active,” he added.

“We have low hundreds of fighters left in Syria and low tens of thousands in Iraq, but not all of them are fighters there, there is a support network, support staff, sympathisers.”

Timeline of the Isis caliphate Show all 19 1 /19 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Timeline of the Isis caliphate ISIS began as a group by the merging of extremist organisations ISI and al-Nusra in 2013. Following clashes, Syrian rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo in January 2014 (pictured) AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the creation of a caliphate in Mosul on 27 June 2014 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis conquered the Kurdish towns of Sinjar and Zumar in August 2014, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Pictured are a group of Yazidi Kurds who have fled Rex Timeline of the Isis caliphate On September 2 2014 Isis released a video depicting the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff. On September 13 they released another video showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines Timeline of the Isis caliphate The US launched its first airstrikes against Isis in Syria on 23 September 2014. Here Lt Gen William C Mayville Jnr speaks about the bombing campaign in the wake of the first strikes Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis militants sit atop a hill planted with their flag in the Syrian town of Kobani on 6 October 2014. They had been advancing on Kobani since mid-September and by now was in control of the city’s entrance and exit points AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Residents of the border village of Alizar keep guard day and night as they wait in fear of mortar fire from Isis who have occupied the nearby city of Kobani Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Smoke rises following a US airstrike on Kobani, 28 October 2014 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate YPG fighters raise a flag as they reclaim Kobani on 26 January 2015 VOA Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis seized the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on 20 May 2015. This image show the city from above days after its capture by Isis Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces are stationed on a hill above the town of Sinjar as smoke rises following US airstrikes on 12 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces enter Sinjar after seizing it from Isis control on 13 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi government forces make the victory sign as they retake the city of Fallujah from ISIS on 26 June 2016 Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi forces battle with Isis for the city of Mosul on 30 June 2017 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of the Iraqi federal police raise flags in Mosul on 8 July 2017. On the following day, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi declares victory over Isis in Mosul Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Female fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim Square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria in January 2019 They were among the last civilians to be living in the ISIS caliphate, by this time reduced to just two small villages in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor Richard Hall/The Independent Timeline of the Isis caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate, on Saturday 26 January 2019 Richard Hall/The Independent

While Isis fighters have been battling it out in the last sliver of the so-called Islamic state, attacks are being carried out by the group elsewhere in Syria and Iraq, said Maj Gen Ghika, adding: “One only has to look at the IEDs [improvised explosive devices], shootings and assassinations to see they stay a threat.”

Britain and the west remain in danger from terrorist attacks. British jihadists held in prison by the Kurdish-led SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) has “reduced the number of British people who had fought for IS [Islamic State] who are returning to Britain to carry out attacks” but “we don’t know whether the fall of the caliphate is going to substantially increase or decrease the danger from terrorism”, said Maj Gen Ghika.

The British government will need to make up its mind about what to do with UK citizens who have joined Isis and partners and children they might have with them, and look at options such as “whether the British military has a role in bringing back British citizens”, said Maj Gen Ghika.

Home secretary Sajid Javid has been forced to defend his decision to strip Shamima Begum of her British citizenship, after she travelled to Isis territory as a 15-year-old and married a Dutch jihadist there.

Ms Begum’s newborn baby then died in the SDF-run camp in Syria where the teenager is being held, a “stain on the conscience” of the UK government, according to the shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

A lawyer representing her family said they would be launching a legal challenge against the stripping of her British citizenship.

“Each country must clearly decide – it’s a sovereign national decision, on whether they take their people back. The SDF are very clear that the prisoners they hold, they will continue to hold. Now the countries have to say what they want to do,” said Maj Gen Ghika during a visit to London.

Speaking of charges the returnees may face, Maj Gen Ghika said: “We collect evidence on all Isis fighters committing atrocities in the battlefield. If we find the persons responsible then in future there will be charges to follow.

“But the evidence-gathering activities have been difficult to conduct because of the situation on the ground. The operation is going slowly because the SDF is taking huge care to avoid unnecessary collateral damage,” he said, speaking in mid-March.

“So this is something really for the post-conflict environment, individuals of any nation who can be prosecuted under the law.”

Baghouz: Syrian Democratic Fighters begin final push to recapture the last sliver of territory controlled by ISIS

Maj Gen Ghika was sceptical of reports that the SDF would start releasing detainees unless they were repatriated.

“I don’t put that much weight on the claim that they are going to let them all go. I don’t get that sense having talked to them,” he held.

“I think they really understand the value of the [prison] population, I think they understand the dramatic gravity of that population.”

Maj Gen Ghika was travelling to US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, from the UK. Donald Trump had announced the withdrawal of American forces from Syria after declaring victory over Isis. The British officer said the likelihood was of more US troops being left than the figure of 200 which has been mentioned.