This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40300164
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Islamic State leader Baghdadi 'may have been killed by Russia' | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Russia's defence ministry is investigating whether one of its air strikes in Syria killed the leader of the Islamic State militant group (IS). | Russia's defence ministry is investigating whether one of its air strikes in Syria killed the leader of the Islamic State militant group (IS). |
| The ministry said an air strike may have killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and up to 330 other fighters on 28 May. | |
| It said the raid had targeted a meeting of the IS military council in its de-facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria. | |
| There have been a number of previous reports of Baghdadi's death. | There have been a number of previous reports of Baghdadi's death. |
| A statement by Russia's defence ministry published by the state-funded Sputnik news agency said 30 IS commanders and up to 300 soldiers were at the Raqqa meeting. | |
| "According to information that is checked through various channels, IS leader Ibrahim Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed as a result of the strike, was also present at the meeting," it added. | |
| Baghdadi's whereabouts have been unknown for some time, although he was believed to be in Mosul in Iraq before a US-led coalition began an effort to reclaim the city in October 2016. | |
| Islamic State group: The full story | |
| His only public appearance since claiming the creation of an IS caliphate was in a video in June 2014, in which he was seen delivering a sermon in Mosul after IS took control of the city. | |
| Since then, the group has lost considerable amounts of territory and has been under pressure from air strikes by Russian-led forces and the US and its allies. | |
| In March, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that "nearly all" of Baghdadi's deputies had been killed. | |
| "It is only a matter of time before Baghdadi himself meets this same fate," he added. |