ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Killed In US Air Strike

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, top terrorist leader of self-styled Islamic State, has reportedly been killed in a U.S. air strike in Raqqa, Syria, a Turkish daily reported on Tuesday.

ISIS-linked news agency al-Amaq reported the airstrike killed al-Baghdadi in Raqqa on Sunday.

Mugshot of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi taken by USA armed forces while in detention at Camp Bucca in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq, in 2004. Back in October of 2015, the United States said an airstrike had wounded the elusive IS leader, and in December the Pentagon speculated that Baghdadi might have died. The U.S. designated al-Baghdadi a terrorist four years ago, authorizing a $10 million reward for information leading to his death or capture.

Reports of the leader’s death have not yet been confirmed.

Baghdadi and his fighters openly defied the al-Qaeda chief, leading some commentators to believe he now holds higher prestige among many Islamist militants.

The ISIS leader’s family claims to trace its lineage back to the descendants of Prophet Muhammad. He was named the head of the Islamic State of Iraq in 2010.

On June 29, 2014, al-Baghdadi announced the establishment of a worldwide caliphate, a move that was harshly condemned by many Islamic governments and led to a conflict with al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The Islamic State took control of a large swath of Iraq and Syria, but lost some ground in recent months.