US officials: US-led airstrike targeted ISIL leaders near Mosul

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The fate of the Islamic State group’s enigmatic leader remained unclear Sunday after the US-led coalition unleashed airstrikes near the Iraqi city of Mosul targeting top jihadist militants.

Claims swirled that hardline IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed in the attacks late Friday, but US officials could not confirm if he had even been present.

The news came after US President Barack Obama unveiled plans to send up to 1,500 more US troops to Iraq to help battle the militants who have seized a large swathe of territory.

In fresh violence on Saturday, some 33 people were killed in a wave of car bombings against Shiite areas in the capital Baghdad, highlighting again the security challenge facing Iraqis even within government-controlled zones.

US Central Command confirmed that coalition aircraft conducted a “series of airstrikes” against “a gathering of ISIL leaders near Mosul.”

A convoy of 10 armoured vehicles from the group also known as ISIL was destroyed.

“We cannot confirm if ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present,” CENTCOM spokesman Patrick Ryder said in his statement, using another acronym by which the group is known. /End/