ISIS chief al-Baghdadi injured or dead? Iraq minister prays for his 'speedy demise'

Baghdad: ISIS kingpin Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi might have been hit when US-led coalition warplanes targeted a gathering of extremists in Iraq's Mosul on Friday, but it's not confirmed if the Islamic State's Caliph was present at the time of strike.

According to reports, US-led anti-ISIS coalition carried out the latest air strikes against the extremists in Iraq on Friday, managing to blow away a convoy of 10 Islamic state vehicles, a US official said. But he denied to confirm if al-Baghdadi was hit during the strike.

Even authorities in Iraq were in the process of ascertaining if the IS caliph was killed in the strikes.

According to a BBC report that cited the Facebook post of Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi, Baghdadi was said to have been critically injured in the attack.

"We have confirmation that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was wounded in an allied forces air raid... in the town of Mosul last Friday evening.. We confirm the death of his deputy, Abu-Muslim al-Turkmani. We pray to God not to help [Baghdadi] recover and to speed up his demise," the BBC quoted the Facebook post of Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi,

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The US-led coalition has conducted a series of air strikes targeting a gathering of Islamic State leaders near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a senior US defence official says.

“We cannot confirm if ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present,” a news agency quoted him.

The ISIS overran a huge swathe of Iraq and Syria in June and established the so-called “Islamic State” across occupied areas and anointed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its caliph.

Declaring the Caliphate, Baghdadi who rarely makes public appearances, appeared at a mosque in July, demanding all Muslims to pledge allegiance to him.

The US has imposed a bounty worth $10 million on the al-Baghdadi's head.

Despite a spate of coalition strikes on ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the extremists continue to advance and unleash bloodshed.

The ISIS recently carried out mass execution in Iraq's Anbar province, executing over 300 people of a tribe that had joined the fight against the Islamic State.