Son Of Islamic State Leader Baghdadi Reported Killed In Battle In Syria
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — A son of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been killed in battle in the Syrian province of Homs, IS’s propaganda agency Amaq announced.
Hudhayfah al-Badri was killed in an “operation against the Nussayriyyah and the Russians at the thermal power station in Homs,” the group said in a statement late on July 3 showing a photo of a young man holding an assault rifle.
Nussayriyyah is IS’s term for the Alawite religious minority sect of President Bashar al-Assad.
IS maintains only a small presence in Syria after being targeted for elimination by Syrian and Russian forces as well as U.S.-backed rebel forces in the last year. It is now estimated to control no more than 3 percent of Syria’s territory.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have said they believe IS leader Baghdadi remains alive in Syria near the Iraqi border.
Baghdadi, who is originally from Iraq, has been dubbed the “most wanted man on the planet,” with the United States offering a $25 million reward for his capture. He had four children with his first wife and a son with his second wife.
In September, the last voice message attributed to Baghdadi called on his followers worldwide to “resist” their enemies.
