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Officials Claim Airstrikes Wound ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi
Al-Baghdadi was 'critically wounded' when a U.S.-led air strike targeted the western Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, tribal sources told Iraqi TV
Nov 09, 2014
Iraqi officials and state television were reporting Sunday that airstrikes late Friday did wound Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Al-Baghdadi was "critically wounded" when a U.S.-led air strike targeted the western Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, tribal sources told Al Arabiya News Channel.
The Guardian reported earlier Sunday:
A key aide to the leader of Islamic State (Isis) has been killed in a US strike on a convoy near the Iraqi city of Mosul that destroyed 10 vehicles carrying a number of the group's top militants.
Abdul Rahman al-Athaee, also known as Abu Saja, died in the attack on Friday. A key aide to the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, he travelled frequently with the group's leadership.
Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman at US central command, said on Saturday: "I can confirm that coalition aircraft did conduct a series of air strikes yesterday evening in Iraq against what was assessed to be a gathering of Isil [Isis] leaders near Mosul. We cannot confirm if Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present."
Some claimed that on Sunday, ISIS spokesman Mohammed al-Adnani tweeted: "Do you think the Caliphate would end with the Caliph's death? We announce leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is in well, and wish him a speedy recovery."
But others were skeptical, suggesting the account was fake and that the news of injury was a hoax.
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Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Iraqi officials and state television were reporting Sunday that airstrikes late Friday did wound Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Al-Baghdadi was "critically wounded" when a U.S.-led air strike targeted the western Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, tribal sources told Al Arabiya News Channel.
The Guardian reported earlier Sunday:
A key aide to the leader of Islamic State (Isis) has been killed in a US strike on a convoy near the Iraqi city of Mosul that destroyed 10 vehicles carrying a number of the group's top militants.
Abdul Rahman al-Athaee, also known as Abu Saja, died in the attack on Friday. A key aide to the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, he travelled frequently with the group's leadership.
Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman at US central command, said on Saturday: "I can confirm that coalition aircraft did conduct a series of air strikes yesterday evening in Iraq against what was assessed to be a gathering of Isil [Isis] leaders near Mosul. We cannot confirm if Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present."
Some claimed that on Sunday, ISIS spokesman Mohammed al-Adnani tweeted: "Do you think the Caliphate would end with the Caliph's death? We announce leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is in well, and wish him a speedy recovery."
But others were skeptical, suggesting the account was fake and that the news of injury was a hoax.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Iraqi officials and state television were reporting Sunday that airstrikes late Friday did wound Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Al-Baghdadi was "critically wounded" when a U.S.-led air strike targeted the western Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, tribal sources told Al Arabiya News Channel.
The Guardian reported earlier Sunday:
A key aide to the leader of Islamic State (Isis) has been killed in a US strike on a convoy near the Iraqi city of Mosul that destroyed 10 vehicles carrying a number of the group's top militants.
Abdul Rahman al-Athaee, also known as Abu Saja, died in the attack on Friday. A key aide to the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, he travelled frequently with the group's leadership.
Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman at US central command, said on Saturday: "I can confirm that coalition aircraft did conduct a series of air strikes yesterday evening in Iraq against what was assessed to be a gathering of Isil [Isis] leaders near Mosul. We cannot confirm if Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present."
Some claimed that on Sunday, ISIS spokesman Mohammed al-Adnani tweeted: "Do you think the Caliphate would end with the Caliph's death? We announce leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is in well, and wish him a speedy recovery."
But others were skeptical, suggesting the account was fake and that the news of injury was a hoax.
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