Iraqi state TV says Daesh leader killed, airs footage of raid
Tehran (KNA) - Iraqi state television has aired footage of what it said was a raid in Syria that reportedly killed Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Baghdadi was reportedly targeted in the early hours of Sunday in the Syrian village of Barisha near the Turkish border, in an operation which involved helicopters, warplanes and a ground clash.
US President Donald Trump prepared to make a "major statement" at the White House, while unnamed sources in Iraq, Syria and Iran said they were informed of the development.
Day-time footage on Iraq's state broadcaster showed a crater in the ground and what appeared to be the aftermath of a raid, with torn blood-stained clothes on the ground. It also showed night-time footage of an explosion.
The broadcaster quoted an expert on terrorism saying that Iraqi intelligence agencies had helped pinpoint Baghdadi's location.
The Britain-based war monitor, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said nine people were killed during the two-hour raid, including two women and at least one child. It did not know if Baghdadi was among the dead.
Source: PressTV