On Friday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it was cross-examining information to confirm if an airstrike by Russian forces may have killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi near Raqqa in Syria late May.
In a statement posted on Facebook by the Ministry, Russian forces in Syria carried out an airstrike following intelligence information that an Islamic State leader’s meeting is being scheduled.
The Russian strike
Reuters reported that the drones were used on May 28 to confirm the intelligence report on the venue and the time of the meeting with the Islamic State leaders.
The air strike was launched early in the morning by Russian forces on the exact location where the ISIS leaders were meeting, the statement read.
A statement by the ministry said the information is being checked to verify the claims. The leader of the Islamic sect Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed following the strike, was also at the meeting, the ministry said.
Coalition forces led by the US stated that it could not verify the Russian claim that Abu Baghdadi may have been eliminated.
The airstrike is said to have killed more than 30 field commanders and about 300 guards. Several other top leaders of the group are also believed to have been killed, the report said.
Islamic State leader's meeting
The statement added that ISIS leaders had assembled at their command base, in Raqqa, to discuss strategies and possible routes for the terrorists to re-strategize from the city.
The Russian military said the US was informed about the venue and the time of the strike in due time.
ISIS militants have almost been defeated in the two acclaimed territorial capitals of the group in Syria and Iraq.
The forces fighting ISIS
Russian forces backed the Assad regime which is fighting ISIS mainly from the western part, while the US-led coalition forces back Iraqi forces which are tackling Islamic State from the east.
Baghdadi’s last public video footage was in 2014 when he dressed in black robes and declared his caliphate from the podium of Mosul’s ancient mosque.
An Iraqi, Baghdadi, 46, broke out from al Qaeda in 2013 after the group leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces.
Head of the Syrian agency for human rights, Rami Abdulrahman expressed doubt over the purported report that Baghdadi may have died in an airstrike. He said Baghdadi was in another remote area in Syria in May.
However, the Russian military says it was still checking facts to confirm Baghdadi's death.
