The Russian military said Friday it is investigating whether an airstrike in the Syrian desert has killed Abu Bakr Baghdadi, Islamic State's self-described "caliph."
The death of one of the world's most-wanted jihadist leaders would be a military victory for Russia and a setback for the militants, who are battling for control of strongholds in Iraq and Syria, including their de facto capital in Raqqah.
"If confirmed, Baghdadi's death will be a powerful blow to the IS. It has been retreating on all fronts, and the death of its leader will accelerate its demise," tweeted Alexei Pushkov, the head of the upper house of the Russian parliament's committee for information policies.
Igor Korotchenko, a member of the Russian Ministry of Defense's Public Council, an advisory board, said the death of the Islamic State leader would dramatically change Russia's operation in Syria, speeding their war on terror. "It fundamentally changes the course of the military operation, because the command center, the 'brains of the organization' is destroyed, and the remaining terrorists will be less effective," he told the Russian newspaper, Evening Moscow.
Baghdadi, whose real name is Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali Badri Samarrai, may have been killed when the Russian Air Force struck a meeting of Islamic State leaders on May 28 outside Raqqah, according to a statement released by the Russian Defense Ministry."
"According to information which we are checking through various channels, the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr Baghdadi was at the meeting and the strike destroyed him," the statement said, adding that the Russian military was still investigating.
Among other militant leaders killed in the raid, according to the statement: Abu Khadji Mysri, Ibrahim Naef Khadj and Suleiman Shauah.
Baghdadi, believed to be in his early 40s, has a $25-million U.S. bounty on his head.
U.S. officials said they could not immediately say whether the Russian strike had killed Baghdadi. "We cannot confirm these reports at this time," said Col. Joe Scrocca, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition.
"We have no information to corroborate those reports," related to Baghdadi's death, said Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis.
Even senior Russian officials said Baghdadi's death had not been fully confirmed. "I don't have 100 percent confirmation on this information," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
He added that the Russian military was examining reports that the U.S. was boosting its military presence in the south of Syria near the borders with Jordan and Iraq.
There have been previous reports of Baghdadi's death, only to be followed by the shadowy militant's reappearance somewhere.
Raqqah has been under attack by American-backed Kurdish and Arab ground forces in recent weeks, with support from a U.S.-led coalition of Western and Arab air forces. The Russian defense ministry statement said the U.S. was warned of the May 28 strike.
It was unclear whether the Russian military had targeted Baghdadi, or learned of his presence at the gathering after the strike.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported airstrikes south of Raqqah May 28 that killed 18 people, including 10 Islamic State fighters. The local activist group Raqqah is Being Slaughtered Silently reported that 17 civilians were killed in a strike that day in the same area.
Baghdadi declared Islamic State's caliphate in Syria and Iraq in June 2014, days after capturing Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.
He has since remained underground, silent even after one of his closest associates _ the extremist organization's spokesman, Abu Muhammad Adnani _ was killed in an airstrike in August. The last time Baghdadi spoke out was in an audio released Nov. 3, in which he urged followers to defend Mosul against an offensive launched the month before by the Iraqi armed forces and the U.S.-led military coalition.
His silence since has led to rumors that he was wounded or killed. A number of reports claimed the leader had holed up in a safe house in Baaj, near the desolate border of Iraq and Syria. But when Iraqi forces swept through the area earlier this month, there was no sign of Baghdadi. Iraqi military commanders believed he was somewhere in the deserts of eastern Syria.
