Islamic State leader Al-Baghdadi 'killed in United States - led coalition air strike'

The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group's alleged leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in an air raid in Syria by the US-led coalition, reports said on Monday.

Baghdadi died in an air strike on IS's stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria, Iranian state media and pro-government Turkish daily Yenis Safak said, citing IS-affiliated Arabic news agency al-Amaq.

The statement published by Amaq said IS's 'Caliph' Baghdadi had been killed on Sunday, according to the media reports.

"Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed by coalition airstrikes on Raqqa on the fifth day of Ramadan," said the statement.

The coalition did not immediately comment on the report.

Earlier on Monday, Iraqi TV channel 'Al-Sumaria' said that Baghdadi had been wounded on Sunday in a coalition air strike on a location 65 kilometres west of the IS-held city of Mosul.

US TV network CNN on Monday cited US defence officials as saying they received credible intelligence that Baghdadi, who has a $25 million bounty on his head, has moved around within the past six months and had travelled to Mosul.

Newsletter

These images show the Sun’s surface in greater detail than ever before

On Wednesday, astronomers released what they said were the most detailed images ever taken of the surface of our sun. As...

Magnitude 7.7 quake hits between Cuba and Jamaica, but no injuries

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a v...

US House passes bill on sanctions against Chinese officials for meddling in Dalai Lama’s succession

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that authorises financial and travel sanctions against Chinese officia...

Squid Brains Are Nearly as Complex as Dog Brains, Researchers Claim

We all know that cephalopods are wicked smart, and their complex nerve systems go some way to explain their aptitudes. N...

Four Japanese evacuees from Wuhan taken to hospital with fevers

Japanese officials say four evacuees on a flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan have a cough and fever. Tokyo Metropolit...

US military recovers remains from Afghanistan plane crash

The United States on Tuesday recovered the remains of two personnel from a US military aircraft that crashed in Afghanis...