Daesh Leader Baghdadi Heavily Injured, Cannot Command Group - Reports

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Leader of the Daesh* terrorist group Abu Bakr Baghdadi is bedridden after a serious injury and does not lead the group, Alsumaria broadcaster reported Monday citing an intelligence source.

The Alsumaria broadcaster reported that Baghdadi was wounded in June during an attack by the Iraqi Air Force on one of the Daesh-controlled Syrian villages. Several terrorists were killed, the rest, including the leader, were heavily injured.

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The media also revealed that the non-Iraqi Daesh militants put forward another terrorist — Abu Usman al-Tunisi, who, judging by the nickname, is a native of Tunisia, to lead the group but faced protests from the Iraqi members.

Commenting on the report, the US-led coalition said that it didn't speculate on their validity.

"The coalition is aware of various reports and rumors of al-Baghdadi's location and status, but it would be irresponsible for us to speculate," the CJTF-OIR Public Affairs Office said when asked to confirm or deny the reports.

Baghdadi's death has been reported numerous times in recent years, but the terrorist leader has reemerged each time.

In June, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Baghdadi could have been killed as a result of a strike by the Russian Aerospace Forces on May 28, 2017 in the southern suburb of Raqqa. But in September, an alleged audio recording of Baghdadi emerged, casting fresh doubt on whether the terrorist leader is currently dead or alive.