A US-led coalition representative has denied reports on the alleged capture of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by US servicemen as "sadly false," adding that the Operation Inherent Resolve currently is not aware of the whereabouts of the Daesh terrorist group's leader.
"Be assured that if his whereabouts were known, he would be already dead or in custody, pending war crime charges," Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve Public Affairs Office told Sputnik.
The coalition referred to the unconfirmed report by Turkish media outlet Yeni Safak, claiming that al-Baghdadi had been captured by US forces in Iraq and then brought to the US base in Ras al-Ayn, Syria.
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There have been numerous reports of al-Baghdadi's death, however, none of them have been confirmed so far.
Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in an airstrike near the Syrian city of Raqqa on May 28. The information, however, has not been confirmed.