IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi spotted in Syrian town: Report

A Hezbollah-run news outlet said today that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reportedly spotted in Syrian town of Albu Kamal.

The news outlet said the IS leader was spotted during Syrian army operation to clear the city.

Syrian army including the coalition forces in Iraq have been on the lookout for Baghdadi ever since they started the assault on IS forces early this year.

In fact, in June the Russian foreign ministry had said that there was a "high degree of certainty that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was dead".

Viktor Ozerov, the head of defence committee had said the news of Baghdadi's death was "close to 100 per cent." 

US forces, however, had a different take on the fate of the IS leader. Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the counter-IS coalition in Iraq and Syria had said two months ago that, "We're looking for him every day. I don't think he's dead."

In July, the US defence secretary Jim Mattis had also said that he believes Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was still alive.

Several other reports since then have suggested the IS chief was killed either in Iraq or Syria.