Islamic State's Baghdadi: a trail of horror and death

A man purported to be the reclusive leader of the militant Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has made what would be his first public appearance at a mosque in the centre of Iraq's second city, Mosul, according to a video recording posted on the Internet on July 5, 2014, in this still image taken from video. [Reuters]

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Iraqi jihadist who rose from obscurity to declare himself “caliph” of all Muslims as the leader of Islamic State, has been targeted in a US military operation in Syria.

Sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said on Sunday they believed he had been killed. A U.S official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Baghdadi was targeted in the overnight raid but was unable to say whether the operation was successful. U.S. President Donald Trump was due to make a “major statement” at the White House later on Sunday.