TerrorismISIS chief al-Baghdadi either “critically wounded” or killed in Saturday air strike: Iraqi sources
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), was “critically wounded” early Saturday when a U.S. air strike hit two ISIS targets in the town of al-Qaim in western Iraq. The attacks early Saturday morning included an air attack on a 10-car convoy on the outskirts of the border town of al-Qaim, and a combined air attack and ground assault on a house in al-Qaim where ISIS leaders were meeting at the time. Three senior ISIS figures were confirmed killed: Abdur Rahman al-Athaee, also known as Abu Sajar, a senior aide to ISIS leader who was particularly close to al-Baghdadi; Adnan Latif al-Suweidi, the overall leader of Anbar province; and Bashar al-Muhandi, ISIS’s leader in the Euphrates valley.
ISIS suffers a major loss in leasdership // Source: thenewkhaleej.com
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), was “critically wounded” early Saturday when a U.S. air strike hit two ISIS targets in the town of al-Qaim in western Iraq.
The attacks early Saturday morning consisted of an air attack on a 10-car convoy on the outskirts of the border town of al-Qaim, and a combined air attack and ground assault on a house in al-Qaim where ISIS leaders were meeting at the time.
Iraqi officials said their forces participated in the ground assault on the house.
Al Arabiya reports that usually reliable local tribal sources confirmed the news to the news channel’s reporter, after the AFP news agency broke the story.
A senior Iraqi official confirmed to the Guardian that a senior aide to ISIS leader, Abdur Rahman al-Athaee, also known as Abu Sajar, was killed in the attack on the convoy. Athaee was known to have been in almost constant contact with Baghdadi, and officials and analysts deduced that his presence in the convoy likely meant that Baghdadi was with him.
Iraqi sources say that the attack on the house killed two other ISIS senior figures — the overall leader of Anbar province, Adnan Latif al-Suweidi, and ISIS’s leader in the Euphrates valley, Bashar al-Muhandi.
Monitoring of the group’s communications in the aftermath of the attack has offered no evidence, however, that suggest that Baghdadi was killed.
U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement that U.S.-led air strikes targeted ISIS leaders near their northern Iraqi hub of Mosul late Friday.
Central Command refused to confirm whether Baghdadi was killed in the attack.
“This strike demonstrates the pressure we continue to place on the ISIL [ISIS] terrorist network and the group’s increasingly limited freedom to maneuver, communicate and command,” U.S. Central Command said.
Mohammad al-Karbuli, an Iraqi MP who represents parts of Anbar province in the Iraq parliament, told Al Arabiya News Channel that coalition aircraft had targeted a gathering of ISIS leaders in al-Qaim. The coordinated attack led to the killing of dozens of people and wounded scores more.
Karbuli added that ISIS members could be observed frantically scrambling to transport their wounded to al-Qaim hospital, which was soon overwhelmed with the number of wounded rushed there.
Reuters quoted two witnesses who said an air strike targeted a house where senior ISIS officers were meeting, near al-Qaim.
The witnesses told the news agency that ISIS fighters had ordered a hospital in town cleared so the organization’s wounded could be admitted and treated. ISIS fighters riding pick-up trucks used loudspeakers to call on residents to donate blood, the witnesses added.
