Sources:

ISIL Leader al-Baghdadi Spotted in Mosul

Rasa - A local source in Nineveh province said on Tuesday that the ongoing tensions that rocked the city of Mosul have forced the leader of the ISIL terror group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to come out of his hiding place in one of the city’s neighborhoods.

News ID: 423737

Date: 20 September 2016 - 22:51

RNA - The source told Al Sumeriya news that al-Baghdadi was in a white SUV surrounded by three heavily armed black-clad militants.

The exact location of al-Baghdadi has been a subject of speculation. However the account on sighting al-Baghdadi has intensified the speculations that the ISIL leader is currently in Mosul, Iraq.

The reports on al-Baghdadi's location surfaced as the Iraqi forces have been mobilizing to start operations to run ISIL out of Southern Mosul.

Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, has been controlled by the ISIL group since 2014. Iraqi forces backed by popular forces are currently preparing an assault to liberate the strategic city.

Al-Baghdadi was believed to permanently reside in ISIL’s de-facto capital, Raqqa in Syria, where he hides among civilian populations to avoid being targeted in airstrikes.

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