The Russian military has said it may have killed the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in an airstrike in Syria in late May. Though acknowledging it was still checking its own claim, Moscow said it had information that Baghdadi was among a gathering of up to 30 Isis leaders in the north-eastern city of Raqqa that was struck by its fighter jets just after midnight on 28 May. The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said the claim remained unproved. “So far, I have no 100% confirmation of the information that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed,” he said.

There has been no suggestion since then from within the ranks of the terror group that its fugitive leader had been killed or wounded. The US-led military coalition fighting Isis in Iraq and Syria said it could not confirm the report. The loss of such a figure would be difficult to hide, even among an organisation renowned for securing sensitive information. Claims of Baghdadi being hit by airstrikes have been made frequently over the past three years – the most recent came from the Syrian military this week. Both governments view psychological warfare as an essential component of the war against the group, and efforts to cripple morale are likely to intensify as it continues to suffer losses.(guardian)…[+]