Iraqi Interior Min. says ISIL leader Baghdadi likely still alive

Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the leader of the Daesh terror group (outlawed in Russia), is likely to be alive and is currently hiding on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, Abu Ali Basri, the head of the intelligence and counterterrorism department of the Iraqi Interior Ministry, said Sunday.

"He is hiding in Syria, to be precise outside Raqqa,” Basri said, as quoted by the Al Arabiya broadcaster.

Basri pointed out that the Iraqi security services are interested in persecution of Baghdadi and his followers more than anyone else.

On Tuesday, the Al Sumaria News broadcaster claimed that the Daesh issued a statement confirming Baghdadi's death.

On June 16, the Russian Defense Ministry said Baghdadi was likely to be eliminated as a result of a Russian Aerospace Forces strike on a militant command post in the southern suburb of the city of Raqqa in late May. It noted that it was in the process of confirming the information through various channels.