US President confirms death of IS chief al-Baghdadi

US President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed the death of Islamic State (IS) chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

"US President Donald Trump confirms Daesh leader Baghdadi has been eliminated," reports Sputnik.

Earlier in the day, President Trump without divulging details had tweeted that "something very big has just happened."

Following the tweet, the White House had announced that Trump is scheduled to make a major announcement on Sunday at 9 am (local time).

US Special Operation Commandos on Saturday carried out a risky raid in northwestern Syria against Baghdadi's hideouts in the Idlib province.

US defence officials on Sunday said that final confirmation regarding the death of IS terrorist would come only after the DNA and biometric tests are conducted.

Baghdadi, the most notorious IS leader, had been in hiding for the last five years.

According to a New York Times report, Baghdadi is believed to have detonated a suicide vest during the raid conducted by the US military.

Back in April, Bagdadi appeared in a propaganda video a week after a series of bombings rattled Sri Lanka, in which more than 250 people were killed.

He last appeared in 2014 during a sermon at the Great Mosque in Mosul.

The speech marked the rise of the self-declared "Caliphate" of IS in Iraq and Syria. However, Baghdadi has periodically issued audio statements, with the last being in August 2018.

The United States had earlier announced a reward of USD 25 million for information leading to Baghdadi's death or arrest.

( With inputs from ANI )