DUSHANBE, June 16, 2016, Asia-Plus — The Islamic State leader was reported to be injured in Raqqa, Syria, last week but officials could not confirm if he was fatally wounded.
Mirror
said on June 14 that according to reports, the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed following US-led air strikes in Syria.
A statement from
al-Amaq
news agency linked to Islamic State reportedly said: “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed by coalition air strikes on Raqqa on the fifth day of Ramadan.”
Another source claimed he died in Mosul, Iraq – another ISIS-held stronghold.
Mirror
reported that in a statement from Iraqi security forces, officers said: “Iraqi aircraft hit Baghdadi”s convoy as it was moving towards Karabla to attend a meeting of the Daesh [ISIS] terrorist leaders.”
The news comes after an Iraqi TV channel claimed last week that al-Baghdadi, who is believed to be in besieged ISIS ”capital” Raqqa, was hurt by a bomb released from a US-led coalition aircraft.
A spokesman of the coalition, Colonel Chris Garver, said in an email that he had seen the reports but had “nothing to confirm this at this time”.
Al Sumariya TV
cited local sources in Iraq”s Nineveh province that Baghdadi and other Islamic State leaders were wounded on Thursday in a coalition air strike on one of the group”s command headquarters close to the Syrian border.
However Tuesday morning reports in the Indian and Iranian media cited a statement from the
al-Amaq
news agency, which has links to ISIS.
The statement confirmed the leader”s death, but has not yet been verified, according to
Mirror
.
