Sat Dec 31, 2016 11:39:38
The US Pentagon has said that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi is alive and still leading the group. Pentagon spokesperson said the US was doing “everything to track his movements”.
“We certainly would take advantage of any opportunity to deliver him the justice he deserves,” Peter Cook said. We’re doing everything we can. This is something we’re spending a lot of time on.”
Earlier in December, an emergency gathering of the Islamic State’s leaders in Iraq had led to unconfirmed reports that the group’s leader had been killed. The US had also increased the bounty for information on Al-Baghdadi to $25 million, The Independent reported on Friday.
Two years ago, Baghdadi had declared himself the caliph of a large part of the Iraq and Syria. However, it is unclear whether he is holed up in Iraq’s Mosul or is closer to the Syrian border or in the Raqqa ISIS stronghold in Syria.
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