"Al-Baqdadi is alive and he commutes everyday between Iraq's Nineveh province and Syria's Reqqa province," an Iraqi security source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The source noted that Al-Baqdadi has survived many assassination attempts so far.

"Al-Baqdadi is travelling between Nineveh and Reqqa accompanied by a high-security group," the source added.

Some news reports claimed last week that Al-Baqdadi had been killed in airstrikes.

In July, Al-Baqdadi was injured during operations by Syrian army's Division 17 in Al-Reqqa city.

In August, a top commander and deputy of Al-Baqdadi named Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Hafiyan nicknamed as Abu Ons Al-Jolani was killed in in Tal Afar region of Nineveh province.

The crisis in Iraq escalated after the ISIL militants took control of Mosul in a lightning advance on June 10, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) Northwest of the capital, Baghdad.

Soldiers of the Iraqi army and Pishmarga have been engaged in heavy fighting with the militants on different fronts and have so far been able to push them back in several areas.