Iraqi Officials: Head of ISIS Wounded In Airstrike
The Associated Press is reporting that the leader of ISIS (aka the Islamic State aka ISIL), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was wounded in an airstrike on Saturday. Brief statements from Iraq’s Defense and Interiors Ministries said that al-Baghdadi had been wounded, working off of intel provided by informants within ISIS. They did not elaborate on the extent of said injuries.
American military officials did confirm to Reuters that they had carried out airstrikes against ISIS convoys over the weekend, but were unable to confirm whether al-Baghdadi had been among those present. According The New York Times, coalition forces were targeting “what was assessed to be a gathering of ISIL leaders.”
As the AP notes, al-Baghdadi “is purported to have made only one public appearance,” appearing in Mosul to deliver a sermon. Video of that appearance showed up online in June.
[Photo via Associated Press]