Reports: US Targeted IS Leader in Special Operation
The U.S. military is believed to have conducted an operation in Syria, resulting in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, media outlets are reporting.
The White House has not officially confirmed the reclusive IS leader's death, but said President Donald Trump will make a "major statement" Sunday.
Trump tweeted late Saturday: "Something big has just happened!"
Media reports say Baghdadi was targeted in Syria's Idlib province, in a mission that included helicopters, jets and U.S. drones
In July a U.N. report warned senior Islamic State leaders "are among those who have made their way to the Idlib area."
Baghdadi's death has been erroneously reported several times.
His last purported audio message was released in September, in which he promised the war against the United States and its allies is far from over.
The voice, purportedly that of Baghdadi, told supporters during the more than 30-minute-long audio recording that the U.S. “is now drowning in the quagmire” of Iraq and Afghanistan, adding Washington is powerless to help its allies in the region and around the world.
“No longer can it do anything but give empty talk and false promises to its partners," the voice said, according to a translation by SITE Intelligence Group.
“The wheel of attrition is running smoothly by the grace of Allah and on a daily basis and on different fronts,” the voice added.
Since 2016, the United States has offered a reward of up to $25 million for information that helps bring Baghdadi to justice. Only one other person, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, has a reward that high.
In March 2014, Baghdadi's wife was released by al Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front militants, along with her two sons and daughter, in exchange for 13 nuns taken captive by that group. It was reported that only the girl was Baghdadi's daughter. The two boys were the sons of a man his wife, Sujidah al-Dulaimi, had married before meeting Baghdadi.
Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.