Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may have been killed in a Russian air strike.
State-owned media outlet RIA Novosti is reporting the IS leader was allegedly killed alongside 330 other terrorists in an air strike near the Syrian city of Raqqa on May 28.
The Russian Defense Ministry says it is seeking verification.
“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,†a ministry statement said.
The government’s other media outlet, Pravda, was reporting earlier this week that he was killed on the weekend.
Pravda says “the claims were based on a statement in turn made by Syrian activists, which mentioned an air strike but not the names of the victims and the news of al-Baghdadi’s death has been broadcast on Syrian State Televisionâ€.
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