Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to have been killed in a high-level raid in Syria by the US military, according to reports.
A senior US defense official said that Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest during the raid, adding that the CIA assisted in locating the ISIS leader.
The final confirmation is pending while DNA and biometric testing is conducted, according to CNN.
President Donald Trump is expected to make a major announcement on Sunday after tweeting on Saturday night about “something big”. He is likely to make the announcement at 9 am EST (1300 GMT), as per the White House.
Baghdadi became the leader of Islamic State of Iraq in 2010. He was a key figure in al-Qaeda in Iraq before he rose through he ranks and formed the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS). US-led forces targetted the ISIS, forcing it to give up much of the territory it had seized. Baghdadi has often been rumored to have been killed or gravely hurt.
A video of Baghdadi, who has been in hiding for the last five years, surfaced in April soon after the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombing, in which he is seen praising the perpetrators for carrying out the attacks in revenge for the defeat of ISIS in Syria.
