Russia claims to have killed Isis leader
Russia has claimed it killed the leader of Isis ( Islamic State) in an airstrike on a meeting of Isis leaders just outside the Isis de facto capital in Syria.
The Russian Defence Ministry said Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi was killed in a Russian strike in late May along with other senior group commanders.
If confirmed, it would mark a major military success for Russia, which has conducted a military campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al- Assad since September 2015.
The ministry said the air raid on May 28 that targeted an Isis meeting held on the southern outskirts of Raqqa in Syria also killed about 30 mid- level militant leaders and about 300 other fighters.
The ministry said the strike came as Isis leaders gathered to discuss the group’s withdrawal from Raqqa, the group’s de facto capital.
It said the military began planning the hit after getting word that the Isis leaders were going to gather for a meeting to plan their exit to the south.
The Russian military sent drones to monitor the area and then dispatched a group of Su- 34 bombers and Su- 35 fighter jets to hit the Isis gathering.
“According to the information that i s being verified through various channels, IS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi also attended the meeting and was killed in the airstrike,” it said in a statement.
The ministry added that it had warned the United States of the coming strike.
The ministry said that among other militant leaders killed in the raid were Isis leaders Abu al- Khadji alMysri, Ibrahim al- Naef al- Khadj and Suleiman al- Shauah.
The US- led anti- Isis coalition said it could not confirm reports the Isis leader was killed in the airstrike.