WASHINGTON 鈥� The leader of the Islamic State and the Levant (ISIL), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was critically wounded during a U.S.-led coalition airstrike several months ago, Iraq鈥檚 ambassador to the United States told 海角社区app in an exclusive interview.
鈥淏ack in February he was seriously injured,鈥� Lukman Faily said in late August, though聽later, through a spokesman, he amended his statement to say, 鈥淏aghdadi was seriously injured in March.鈥�
Faily declined to cite the exact date the strike took place, but said, 鈥淭he reports [of him being wounded in an airstrike] were confirmed. As to exactly what the extent is, I鈥檇 like to keep that confidential.鈥�
But another Iraqi official said 鈥渁 coalition strike鈥� took place in mid-March that鈥檚 believed to be the one that wounded Baghdadi and killed three men he was traveling with. The attack is believed to have taken place in al-Baaj, roughly 75 miles west of Mosul.
Unconfirmed reports emerged suggesting Baghdadi died after that strike, but U.S. military and intelligence officials told 海角社区app in July they had 鈥渉igh confidence鈥� he was still alive.
But Faily said, 鈥淲e will keep targeting Baghdadi. The allies have him as a top target. We will not rest until he and his gang of thugs, who lead ISIS and create all of this chaos and injustice are under the ground.鈥�
海角社区app reported last month聽that Baghdadi had allegedly survived several attempts by the coalition airstrikes to kill him between November 2014 and April 2015, but no U.S. officials would discuss the specifics, because of the classified nature of the details.
Michael Rogers, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told 海角社区app that Baghdadi was almost killed.
鈥淭hat brush with mortality allowed him to come to the conclusion [that] he鈥檇 better be more aggressive in putting people around him to survive,鈥� Rogers said.
Rogers wouldn鈥檛 specify when and where the near-death experience happened.
鈥淭hat event, how dangerously close it came to taking his life, was probably a motivator for him to change the way he鈥檚 doing his command and control,鈥� Rogers said.
The U.S. has used a variety of weapons to launch airstrikes against ISIL targets as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
According to the Department of Defense (DOD), coalition military forces conducted 19 airstrikes Monday using bomber, fighter and remotely-piloted aircraft聽—聽13 in Iraq,聽coordinated with the government, and six airstrikes were launched in Syria.
DOD said in releases detailing the progress of the strikes that the U.S. and coalition have conducted approximately聽6,500 airstrikes since kinetic operations began on Aug. 8, 2014. More than 4,000 have been in Iraq, about聽2,500 in Syria. The U.S. has conducted more than 5,000 airstrikes, including more than 2,700 in Iraq and more than聽2,300 in Syria.
