US Coalition Cannot Confirm Daesh Leader Baghdadi's Death in Russian Airstrike

The US-led coalition cannot confirm the possible elimination of Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a Russian Aerospace Forces strike near Raqqa on May 28, an Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said it was verifying information that Baghdadi could have been killed in the May 28 strike on the southern outskirts of Raqqa.

"There have been several past claims of this kind that have been proven false and we have seen no definitive proof that this report is true either," a coalition spokesperson told Sputnik. "However, the Coalition and the global community would welcome the news of al-Baghdadi's demise."

A US Department of Defense spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday the department is unable to corroborate reports that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed.

"Nothing at this time to substantiate that report," the spokesperson stated.

Russia is yet to confirm the death of Daesh leader Baghdadi in a Russian airstrike in Syria's Raqqa, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier in the day.

Al-Baghdadi appeared in the media for the first time in 2014 when he declared the creation of a caliphate in the Middle East. Since then, the media several times reported about the death of Daesh leader, though the information has never been confirmed.

On Sunday, the Syrian state television reported that Baghdadi was killed as a result of US strikes in Raqqa.