MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Abu Ali Basri, the head of the Iraqi Interior Ministry's intelligence and counterterrorism department was quoted as saying Sunday that Baghdadi "is hiding in Syria, to be precise outside Raqqa."
The claim came nearly a week after Daesh reportedly confirmed its leader's death in a statement.
On Tuesday, the Alsumaria News broadcaster claimed that the Daesh issued a statement confirming Baghdadi's death.
"We do not have any more precise information. Indeed, the information is contradictory, our respective services are verifying it," Peskov told reporters.
On June 16, the Russian Defense Ministry said Baghdadi was likely to be eliminated as a result of a Russian Aerospace Forces strike on a militant command post in the southern suburb of the city of Raqqa in late May. It noted that it was in the process of confirming the information through various channels.
