Russian intel says ironclad evidence of IS ringleader’s death hasn’t been provided

Naryshkin

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/: There is no genetic material that would make it possible to conclude that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia), was killed in a US raid, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin told TASS on Friday.

"There is no genetic material, which would allow us to say that with 100-percent certainty," he emphasized.

On October 27, US President Donald Trump said that al-Baghdadi had been killed during a special operation in Syria’s Idlib Governorate. He thanked Russia, Iraq, Syria and Turkey for their assistance.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had no reliable information on al-Baghdadi’s death. The international community called the killing of al-Baghdadi an important but not decisive step, calling for continuing the war on terror.