Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-appointed leader of the Islamic State (IS), may have been injured in a US airstrike, according to reports.
American ordnance hit a 10-vehicle armed convoy close to Mosul on Saturday. US military spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder said that that Central Command believed the convoy was carrying top IS leaders, though “Caliph” al-Baghdadi’s presence has not been confirmed.
Local witnesses told Al Arabiya that he was injured in the attack, though this remains unconfirmed.
A US military statement confirmed that trucks had been destroyed, demonstrating “the pressure we continue to place on the IS terrorist network".
Al-Baghdadi was last spotted in Mosul in June, attending a mosque in the city.