Russia Says It Killed ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi In Air Strike South Of Raqqa

The Russian Defense Ministry has said that the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, was killed in a Russian-led air strike in Syria late last month. Russia claims to have killed about 330 people, including senior ISIS figures, who had reportedly gathered for a meeting in Raqqa.

"As a result of the Su-35 and Su-34 airstrikes, high-ranking commanders of the terrorist groups who were part of the so-called IS military council, as well as about 30 mid-level field commanders and up to 300 militants of their personal security, have been killed," the ministry said in a statement.

“According to information that is being checked through various channels, IS leader Ibrahim Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi, who was killed as a result of the strike, was also present at the meeting,” the statement read.

Emir of Raqqa Al-Haji Al-Masri and the group’s head of security Suleiman Al-Sawah were also killed in the strike, the ministry has said.

ISIS had organised the meeting to plan “routes for the exit of militants from Raqqa through the so-called southern corridor,” the statement read. Raqqa, which is located in northern part of Syria, is the group’s de facto capital.