ISIS chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi believed dead in US raid in northwest Syria: Reports
Washington: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the elusive chief of the Islamic State, has been killed in a raid conducted by the US special operations commandos in northwest Syria on Saturday, US media reported on Sunday.
Citing a senior US defence official and a source with knowledge, CNN reported that the final confirmation is pending while DNA and biometric testing is conducted.
"It appears that Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest during the raid," the defense official was quoted as saying. "The CIA assisted in locating him."
Meanwhile, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said that President Donald Trump will make a major announcement on Sunday morning.
Quoting an administration official, CNN said that the announcement is foreign policy related. "Something very big has just happened!" Trump earlier tweeted, without elaborating. Newsweek first reported that the world's most wanted man was believed to have been killed.
Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed Caliph, has made only one public appearance, in July 2014, in the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, announcing the birth of Islamic State's much-feared "caliphate" across swathes of Iraq and Syria. The mosque was retaken by Iraqi security forces in June 2017.
In April this year, he appeared for the first time in five years in a propaganda video released by the jihadist organisation. In the video, he referred to the battle of Baghouz, which ended in March.
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23-year-old youngster drowns after diving into swimming pool in Haveri district
Haveri: A 23-year-old youth drowned in a swimming pool at Byadagi town in Haveri district on Sunday after diving into the water, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Dakanachari Nagaraj Badiger, a resident of Byadagi.
According to sources, Badiger had gone to the Mahakuteshwar Swimming Pool on Kakol Road along with his friends. CCTV footage reportedly shows him diving headfirst into the pool. Moments later, he appeared to struggle in the water and was unable to stay afloat.
It is said that his friends did not immediately notice that he was in distress. Another swimmer reportedly spotted him lying at the bottom of the pool and alerted others.
Badiger was pulled out of the pool and attempts were made to revive him. However, efforts to save him were unsuccessful, sources said.
Byadagi Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the incident.
