MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Daesh jihadist group ringleader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, was poisoned together with three other commanders of the group in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh Province, local media reported Monday, citing a source.
"There were intelligence reports that Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and three leading commanders consumed food containing poison," the source in the Nineveh Province was quoted as saying by the Iraqi Media News Agency.
The source noted that the militants are "suffering from severe poisoning", and had been taken under strict supervision to an unknown location.
Al-Baghdadi's movements are known only by his inner circle, with the leader constantly changing location in Iraq and Syria to avoid airstrikes.
Daesh has been ravaging Iraq and Syria since 2014. The terrorist group has overrun territory in both countries and has declared the city of Mosul in Iraq as the capital of Daesh’s so-called caliphate. Daesh is outlawed in many countries around the world, including Russia and the United States.