Rabat – A senior US military source said that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to have been killed in a US-led military raid in northwest Syria on Saturday, October 26.
Senior US defense official and another source with knowledge on the case told CNN that al-Baghdadi “detonated a suicide vest” during the US military raid in Idlib, Syria.
The final confirmation is pending DNA test to confirm the news..
US President Donald Trump is expected to make a statement on the matter later today.
The White House said that Trump will make a “major statement” at 9:00 p.m. local time.
Special operations commandos conducted the raid. The CIA helped in detecting the location of the ISIS leader.
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Iraqi forces also helped in providing “important information,” Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji told CNN.
Reports on the death of al-Baghdadi multiplied in the past two years. In each instance, however, ISIS would ridicule the news by releasing a new video message featuring al-Baghdadi.
In the video recordings, Al-Baghdadiusually appeared sitting cross-legged on the ground next to an assault rifle.
In his latest video in July, the ISIS leader, who was the subject of an international manhunt for years, announced the end of the battle for Baghouz, a town in eastern Syria which was home to the terrorist group’s last stronghold in the region.
