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Rabat – Major new sources have reported that the world’s most wanted terrorist, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , was killed in a coalition air strike in Raqqa Saturday.
The reports are being met with a certain degree of skepticism, however, as this is not the first time the terror kingpin has been reported killed.
Syrian television published the initial report. It remains unconfirmed for now, as ISIS has not yet released a statement. Nor has there been any response from the US-led coalition force.
Raqqa 24, an organization of Syrina activists, have confirmed that airstrikes in Raqqa killed at least seven civilians but made no mention of Al-Baghdadi.
Born in Samarra, Iraq, in 1971, Al-Baghdadi joined the insurgency in 2003, which cropped up following the US-led invasion of Iraq. He went on to become the world’s most hunted terrorist, with a $25-million-dollar bounty on his head.
According to coalition intelligence, he had been in hiding in Mosul but escaped when the Coalition launched their main offensive in the city. It was thought that he had fled to Raqqa.
Syrian tv reports have also claimed that Al-Baghdadi’s deputy, Ayad al-Jamaili, was killed in an air strike near the Syrian border.
Back in December, US Petagon spokesman, Peter Cook, told CNN that the coalition was determined to “deliver him the justice he deserves.”
“We’re doing everything we can,” he said at the time. “This is something we’re spending a lot of time on.”
Just last Spring, US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, predicted a gruesome end for Baghdadi. “Nearly all of Abu Bkr al-Baghdadi’s deputies are now dead, including the masterminds behind the attacks in Brussels, Paris and elsewhere. It is only a matter of time before Baghdadi himself meets the same fate.”
This is breaking news and will be updated as new details come to light.
