IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi believed dead after US assault

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed dead after being targeted by a US military raid in Syria.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Source: AAP

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the IS group who presided over its global jihad, is believed dead after being targeted by a US military raid in Syria.

A US official told The Associated Press on Sunday that al-Baghdadi was targeted in Syria's Idlib province.

The official said confirmation that the IS chief was killed in an explosion is pending. No other details were available.

Read more here.