Report of IS chief ’s death hard to verify
Russia claims airstrike killed him last month
BEIRUT — Uncertainty and confusion surrounded the fate of the head of the Islamic State group Friday as Russia announced it may have killed him in an airstrike, but U.S. officials said there was no definitive proof of his death.
The demise of Abu Bakr alBaghdadi would be a severe blow to the extremist group as it fights to hang on to its strongholds, although it was not clear how much operational control he retains.
Apart from Moscow’s claim that he may have been killed in the May 28 airstrike, there was not much else to back it up.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the information about his death was still “being verified through various channels.”
A spokesman for the U.s.-led coalition fighting IS said he would welcome such news but urged caution.
“There have been several past claims of this kind that have been proven false,” U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon said.
Al-baghdadi, believed to be in his mid-40s, last released an audio message Nov. 3, urging his followers to keep up the fight for Mosul.
The latest report of his death comes amid major setbacks for
IS, having lost significant territory on both sides of its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq. The group is fighting for survival in a few remaining neighborhoods in western Mosul and is now under attack in Raqqa, its self-styled capital.
On Monday, IS released an audio message from its chief spokesman urging supporters to carry out attacks in the United States and Europe during Ramadan. There was no mention of al-baghdadi.
Al-baghdadi is a nom de guerre for a man identified as Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-badri al-samarrai.
The U.S. has a $25 million bounty for information leading to his death or capture.
It is not clear who would succeed al-baghdadi. The group has lost many of its top commanders in U.s.-led airstrikes, including Fadhil Ahmad al-hayali, said by
U.S. officials to be the second in command.