Al-Baghdadi Not Among ISIL Leaders Killed in Iraqi Army Airstrike

Several leaders of the Islamic State were killed in an airstrike conducted by the Iraqi Air Force, but "caliph" Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is not among them, Reuters reports citing an Iraqi hospital source.

Earlier it was reported that the Iraqi Air Forces had attacked a convoy of the Islamic State jihadist group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in the Iraqi western Anbar province. His fate had been unknown.

The local Shafaq News portal reported citing the Iraqi army's statement that the airstrike had been carried after the intelligence received information on al-Baghdadi's route to a meeting with the leadership of the terrorist organization.

The Islamic State is a radical Sunni group that has ceased vast areas in Syria and Iraq. It aims to establish an Islamic caliphate on the occupied territories. The radicals have become notorious for numerous terrorist attacks and their mass executions, stoning of women and the beheading of foreigners.

On Wednesday, Iraqi Parliament Defense and Security Committee Chairman Haqim Zamli told Sputnik that Iraq may turn to Russia for military help in the fight against the Islamic State if Russian airstrikes in Syria prove successful.