The head of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) terror group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is reportedly alive in Syria but injured and no longer in control.
Citing a senior Iraqi official, Al Jazeera reported on February 12 that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is alive and being treated at a medical facility in northeastern Syria after being severely wounded in an air raid.
He reportedly sustained serious wounds to his legs during air raids.
“We have irrefutable information and documents from sources within the terrorist organization that al-Baghdadi is still alive and hiding with the help of his collaborators," Abu Ali al-Basri, Iraq's intelligence and counterterrorism department chief, was quoted on Monday by the government-run al-Sabah daily as saying, according to Al Jazeera.
Despite a series of major military defeats over the past year, ISIL reportedly retains a significant presence in northeastern Syria's Hasakah province.
It was unclear what air force was responsible for targeting ISIL's leader.
Al-Basri was quoted as saying al-Baghdadi was wounded during air raids in Iraq.
Meanwhile, American broadcaster CNN on Monday quoted US officials as saying that al-Baghdadi was wounded in Raqqa and forced to relinquish command of the armed group because of his injuries.
The Telegraph reported on February 12 that al-Baghdadi, who also suffers from diabetes, is thought to have been left unable to walk unassisted from injuries incurred from a raid in 2015 which were exasperated by another last May.
Recall, Russia's defense ministry has claimed it may have killed al-Baghdadi in one of its air raids on the outskirts of Syria's Raqqa, an ISIL stronghold, until the group was ousted from the city late last year.
Al-Baghdadi, whose real name is Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri, is thought to be communicating with the group’s followers via voice messages sent over encrypted app services, according to The Telegraph. His last public message was reportedly in September last year.
