Islamic State caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, Radio Iran has claimed.
Though an official confirmation is yet to come, a Guardian report had last week claimed that Baghdadi had received serious 'life-threatening' injuries during a US-led airstrike in March.
The report added that a wounded Baghdadi was no more in control of daily operations of the ISIS.
However, there were similar reports of Baghdadi being "seriously injured" in US-led air strikes last year, but they were not confirmed.
The Pentagon had refuted the latest report of Baghdadi being injured, saying there was no evidence to prove that the ISIS chief had suffered injuries when the US-led coalition planes bombarded the al-Baaj a district of Nineveh, near Syrian border on March 18.
Subsequent reports claimed that Abu Alaa Afri, a former physics teacher, who served as the deputy to al-Baghdadi, is now in charge of the terror group. However, dismissing the 'unfounded' reports as rumours, an ISIS spokesperson claimed that Baghdadi was leading the ISIS fighters in Anbar, reported Rudaw, a pro-Kurdish news source.
Declaring the Caliphate, Baghdadi who rarely makes public appearances, appeared at a mosque in July last, demanding all Muslims to pledge allegiance to him.
The US has imposed a bounty worth $10 million on the Baghdadi's head.
Despite a spate of coalition strikes on ISIS in Iraq and Syria since August last year, the terrorists continue to advance and unleash bloodshed and terror.
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