US Defence Secretary James Mattis said he believes Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive, shooting down claims he was killed in an air strike.
Mattis told newsmen yesterday that he thinks Baghdadi is alive and the US is going after him. Last month, the Russian military claimed it had struck a meeting of Baghdadi on May 28 near Raqqa, Syria, in which Baghdadi was possibly killed.
Many other reports in recent weeks have suggested that Baghdadi was killed in Iraq or Syria. Since making his public appearance as “caliph” in 2014, Baghdadi has not been seen.