Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Friday that he believes Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive, following various claims he was dead.
"I think Baghdadi's alive... and I'll believe otherwise when we know we've killed him," Mattis told Pentagon reporters.
"We are going after him, but we assume he is alive."
There have been persistent rumors that Baghdadi has died in recent months.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a longtime conflict monitor, last week said it had heard from senior IS leaders in Syria's Deir Ezzor province that Baghdadi was dead.
Russia's army said in mid-June that it was seeking to verify whether it had killed the IS chief in a May air strike in Syria.
With a $25 million US bounty on his head, Baghdadi has kept a low profile but was rumored to move regularly throughout IS-held territory in Iraq and Syria.
The Iraqi native has not been seen since making his only known public appearance as "caliph" in 2014 at the Grand Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul, which was destroyed in the battle for Iraq's second city.
Source: AFP
GMT 09:07 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
US tightens rules on Middle East air cargoGMT 09:06 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
US warns Russia on Syria chemical attack reportGMT 07:51 2018 Sunday ,21 January
US government in shutdown as midnight deadline passesGMT 07:06 2018 Friday ,19 January
US admits Turkey owed explanation over Syria forceGMT 06:59 2018 Friday ,19 January
Tillerson says US troops in Syria to counter AssadMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©