ISIS confirmed the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had been killed. ISIS issued a brief statement in which they reported the death of their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the name of the "new caliph"
On June 16, the Russian Defense Ministry said that al-Baghdadi might have died in a Russian Air Force attack on a militant command post on the southern outskirts of the city of Raqqa in late May. The Russian side noted that in the process of confirming the information through various channels.
On June 23, US Inherent Operation Command Colonel Ryan Dillon said that the US had no convincing evidence to believe that Baghdadi was killed in a Russian air raid. "However, the US will certainly welcome the death of al-Baghdadi, but we have no definite proof to lead us to believe that this is accurate," he added.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not been heard since late 2016. The ISIS leader has only appeared in the video, talking with supporters at an iconic mosque in the heart of Mosul, Masjid al-Nouri.
Its emergence occurred in 2014, when Baghdadi founded the Muslim caliphate and proclaimed himself as Caliph.
The last time Baghdadi issued an audio message on November 3, 2016, when he released an audio statement urging followers to continue fighting for Mosul.
