US: Not sure over Baghdadi’s death

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The fate of the Islamic State group’s leader remained unclear Sunday after the US-led coalition unleashed airstrikes near the Iraqi city of Mosul targeting top jihadist militants.Claims swirled that the 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.Al-Arabiya TV reported Baghdadi had been wounded, while a local Iraqi channel said one of his aides was killed.US Central Command confirmed that coalition aircraft conducted a “series of airstrikes” against “a gathering of ISIL leaders near Mosul.”A convoy of 10 armored 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.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 swath of territory.A strike against Baghdadi, who has proclaimed himself the “caliph” of a state straddling Iraq and Syria, would be a major coup for the US-led coalition.Washington has offered a $10 million reward for his capture, and some analysts say he is increasingly seen as more powerful than Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.In a video posted online in July, purportedly the first known footage of Baghdadi, he ordered all Muslims to obey him during a Ramadan sermon in Mosul. /End/