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Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Highly Likely Dead: Russia

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Highly Likely Dead: Russia
folder_openSyria access_time6 years ago
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Russia's Foreign Ministry has said there is a high degree of certainty that Daesh [Arabic Acronym for the terrorist "ISIS"/"ISIL"] leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Highly Likely Dead: Russia

A new statement carried by RIA news agency on Thursday doubled down on Moscow's revelation last week that its forces may have killed the secretive leader.

Baghdadi is believed to be in hiding in the region around the Syria-Iraq border, moving frequently and avoiding telecommunications to evade detection. According to the Russian foreign ministry, the strike in which he was killed occurred at the end of May.

The Russian authorities have not produced any proof since the initial claim was made. Washington DC said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials have been skeptical.

"His death has been reported so often that you have to be cautious till a formal [Isis] statement comes," a European security official speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters.

"A strike of that size and that claim that would have happened that long ago without any knowledge is something that made me curious," a US official said.

However, if the report does prove to be true, it would be a huge blow to the terrorist organization, which is rapidly losing territory across both Syria and Iraq.

The US has also claimed that both Daesh's grand mufti, or preacher, Turki Binali, and the head of its propaganda wing, Amaq Rayaan Mashal, have been killed in recent strikes.

On Wednesday night the 12th century al-Nuri mosque was blown up by militants wishing to deprive US-backed Iraqi coalition forces of claiming victory from the same spot the caliphate was created.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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