BAGHDAD (Sputnik) — The US special forces unit operating in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk has captured one of Daesh (Islamic State) leaders, Abu Omar Al-Shishani, as well as two senior field commanders, the Iraqi Interior Ministry conformed in an interview with Sputnik on Monday.
"The US commandos have captured two field commanders and Abu Omar Al-Shishani," ministry's spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said, adding that the captives had been transported to the city of Sulaymaniyah.
"Not true," the official replied to a question posed by RIA Novosti.
Baghdad’s reports of the capture of Islamic State leader Abu Omar Al-Shishani are rumors, a Pentagon spokesperson told Sputnik on Monday.
“These are rumors only,” the spokesperson said, when asked to confirm or deny the reports by the Iraqi Interior Ministry.
The Islamic State is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries. The group has seized large areas in Syria and Iraq and seeks to establish a caliphate on territories under its control.
A US-led coalition comprising 65 nations has been conducting airstrikes on Daesh positions in Iraq and Syria since 2014. US President Barack Obama has repeatedly rejected the idea of a large US ground presence against IS in Iraq and Syria. Currently, the United States has approximately 3,500 troops in Iraq.
