This file image from a video purports to show the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq during his first public appearance. The leader of the Islamic State militant network is believed dead after being targeted by a U.S. military raid in Syria. A U.S. official told The Associated Press late Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was targeted in Syria’s Idlib province. - AP
(Bloomberg): A U.S. military raid in the northern Syria targeted Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to three officials.
The operations by U.S. Special Forces focused on the northern province of Idlib, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the incident. Newsweek reported that al-Baghdadi was killed in the operation, pending further verification.
