US Defense Secretary on Baghdadi saga: ‘He’s alive’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Defense Secretary of the United States on Friday dismissed rumors Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a Russian airstrike.

During a press conference in Washington, US Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters he believed Baghdadi was still alive.

“I think Baghdadi’s alive…And I’ll believe otherwise when we know we’ve killed him,” Mattis said.

“But, we’re going after him,” he added. “We assume he’s still alive.”

The Russian military claimed they had killed the IS leader on May 28 near Raqqa, Syria where militants were congregating.

Earlier this week, an Iraqi official said Baghdadi was still “in hiding” in Syria outside of Raqqa, IS’ de facto capital and its largest remaining stronghold in the region.

Since making a public appearance in 2014 when he declared a caliphate in Iraq, the IS leader has not been seen.

Although some Pentagon officials believe Baghdadi is no longer involved in the militant group’s operations, Mattis said he still plays a significant role.

“I think he is alive, and that means he would have a role to play obviously in an organization that he leads,” the Defense Secretary explained.

“For obvious reasons, we’re trying to track him pretty closely because he’s declared war on us,” Mattis added.

There have been many reports of Baghdadi’s death or serious injury over the last three years, especially since the launch of the Mosul operation in Iraq.

The extremist group’s presence continues to shrink in both Syria and Iraq.

Iraqi forces have recently declared victory in Mosul while the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the US are battling to recapture Raqqa.