US-led Coalition Denies 'Sadly False' Reports of Holding al-Baghdadi at its Base

Turkish media reports suggested that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was being held at an American base in Syria.

A US-led coalition representative has denied reports on the alleged capture of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by US servicemen as "sadly false," adding that the Operation Inherent Resolve currently is not aware of the whereabouts of the Daesh terrorist group's leader.

"Be assured that if his whereabouts were known, he would be already dead or in custody, pending war crime charges," Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve Public Affairs Office told Sputnik.

The coalition referred to the unconfirmed report by Turkish media outlet Yeni Safak, claiming that al-Baghdadi had been captured by US forces in Iraq and then brought to the US base in Ras al-Ayn, Syria.

READ MORE: Daesh Leader al-Baghdadi Reportedly Flees Iraq for Syria in a Yellow Taxi

There have been numerous reports of al-Baghdadi's death, however, none of them have been confirmed so far.

In October, the Pentagon said it believed al-Baghdadi was still alive, while the Anadolu Agency quoted Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon as saying that the US intelligence service had verified that an audio recording supposedly of al-Baghdadi was authentic.

Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in an airstrike near the Syrian city of Raqqa on May 28. The information, however, has not been confirmed.