Islamic State leader killed, Syrian TV reports

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Photo credit: Getty

There are reports Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State (IS), has been killed in an air strike.

Syrian state TV reported the terror group's stronghold of Raqqa was bombed overnight, al-Baghdadi among the casualties.

IS-run news agency Amaq confirmed the bombing, but did not say anything about al-Baghdadi's fate, UK media reports.

His death has been falsely reported before. He narrowly escaped capture recently, when Iraqi forces took back Mosul.

"Nearly all of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's deputies are now dead, including the mastermind behind the attacks in Brussels, Paris, and elsewhere," US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in March.

"It is only a matter of time before Baghdadi himself meets the same fate."

Newshub.