MIDDLE EAST

After airstrikes, rumors swirl over fate of IS leader Baghdadi

"Islamic State" (IS) top commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was rumored to have been wounded or killed in a recent US-led airstrike. Central Command officials, however, could not confirm his fate.

It remained unclear Sunday if recent US-led airstrikes targeting "Islamic State" leadership had killed the group's top commander, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The US-led coalition hit a gathering of IS jihadist leaders in northwestern Iraq near the city of Mosul on Saturday, and Iraqi officials believe a number of high-ranking commanders had been killed, but the US could not confirm the fate of al-Baghdadi.

"We cannot confirm if [IS] leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present," Central Command spokesman Patrick Ryder said in a statement. The strikes were confirmed to have destroyed a convoy of 10 armored vehicles belonging to IS.

The United States has offered a $10 million (8 million euros) reward for the capture of Baghdadi, who has proclaimed himself the "caliph" of the "Islamic State" in Iraq in Syria. Baghdadi's death would be a major blow, as some analysts believe he is increasingly seen as more powerful than al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Rumors circulated Saturday that Baghdadi had been either wounded or killed in the US-led strike. Al-Arabiya TV reported Baghdadi had been wounded, and local media claimed one of his aides had been killed.

The strikes come after US President Barack Obama announced he was doubling the number of US troops currently training and advising Kurdish forces to 1,500. The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against IS positions in Iraq and Syria for the past several weeks.

Ryder said the strikes were a sign of the "continued pressure we continue to place on the [IS] terrorist network," and said the strikes were designed to ensure the militant group had "increasingly limited freedom to maneuver, communicate and command."

The "Islamic State" has not yet issued a public comment on the recent strikes.

bw/kms (AFP, dpa)  dw de