Iraqi state TV confirms ISIS leader al-Baghdadi wounded in airstrike

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Iraqi state TV confirms ISIS leader al-Baghdadi wounded in airstrike

US war planes have reportedly launched an airstrike on a gathering of ISIS leaders, critically wounding their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The reports were confirmed by Iraqi officials and state television on Sunday, although the Pentagon were unable to confirm.

RT reports: Speaking on condition of anonymity, two Iraqi officials told AP that al-Baghdadi was wounded in an airstrike in the town of Qaim in Iraq’s Anbar province, carried out on Saturday.

An Interior Ministry intelligence official confirmed that the IS leader was wounded citing informants within the militant group, while a senior Iraqi military official said he learned about it in operational meetings.

Neither knew the extent of al-Baghdadi’s apparent injuries, according to AP news agency.

Later, Iraqi state television also reported that the terrorist group’s chief had been wounded.

First reports of the self-proclaimed leader’s “critical” injuries in a US-led airstrike in Iraq appeared on Saturday, with sources saying al-Baghdadi was wounded when the strike hit a convoy of military vehicles allegedly carrying a group of senior Islamic State members.

US Central Command previously announced the strikes had destroyed a convoy of armed trucks, after targeting a gathering of extremists’ leaders near the city of Mosul in northern Iraq, but the Pentagon could not confirm whether al-Baghdadi was part of the escort.

Twitter accounts, affiliated with the Islamic State group, also rejected the reports, calling on supporters to ignore any news of the “death” of their leader.

 

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