Donald Trump has confirmed that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi was killed in a US military operation.
The notorious terror group leader was one of the world’s most wanted criminals, with a bounty of $25m (£19.5m) on his head.
He was at the centre of an international manhunt for years but he had not made an appearance since 2014.
Read:Trump sees total rout of Islamic State group as imminent
Speculation began on Saturday night when President Trump tweeted “Something very big has just happened!” but gave no further explanation.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier reported an attack in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, where IS operatives were believed to be hiding in the area.
The UK-based observatory documented nine deaths in the attack.
Read:Islamic State group defeated as final territory lost, US-backed forces say
The strike came amid concerns that a recent US pullback from northeastern Syria could infuse new strength into the militant group, which had lost vast stretches of territory it had once controlled.
Al Baghdadi, who led IS for the past five years, was seen in the summer of 2014 in the pulpit of the Nouri mosque in Mosul.
He urged Muslims around the world to swear allegiance to the caliphate and obey him as its leader.
Source:Â www.news.sky.com