Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group — also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) -- is believed to be dead, with the group having called a meeting of its leaders in Iraq to choose a successor to Baghdadi.
Baghdadi has been reported dead quite a few times, including in June this year, when an organisation close to ISIS had said he had been killed in an airstrike conducted by the coalition forces led by the United States. However, the US forces did not confirm his death back then.
Not seen since September
More recently, there were reports in early October that Baghdadi had taken seriously ill after having been poisoned. The food that was prepared for Baghdadi and three other militants of the organisation was allegedly poisoned, following which they had severe poisoning.
Later reports, however, claimed Baghdadi was hiding in Mosul, with a suicide bomb belt strapped on to him, so he could blow himself up to avoid capture. Now, an Alalam News report quoted local reports as saying that Baghdadi "died following ongoing fighting in the Iraqi city of Mosul." The report also claimed that Baghdadi "has not been seen since September, when he was seen travelling through Mosul under heavy guard."
Meeting of top ISIS leaders in Iraq
Now, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has said it has received "confirmed information from several reliable sources" that ISIS leaders from Iraq have summoned their counterparts from Syria for a meeting.
According to the SOHR, those summoned include not only all military and security leaders of ISIS in Syria, but also the "commander of Jaysh al-Sham and commander of Al-Raqqah State." The SOHR has also said that the reason the meeting has been called is to choose the "Caliph successor of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as Caliphate of Muslims."
