“Iran was informed about Baghdadi’s death by Syrian officials who got it from the field,” one of the officials said. The second Iranian official confirmed it, according to Reuters.
US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have also told news agencies that the United States has carried out an operation targeting Baghdadi.
A US official told The Associated Press that the Daesh leader was targeted in Syria's Idlib province. Another US official confirmed to Reuters news agency that the operation took place but did not disclose details and did not say whether it was successful.
Newsweek, citing a US Army official briefed on the result of the operation, said al-Baghdadi was killed in the raid.
US President Donald Trump plans to make a "major statement" at the White House at 9 am EST (1300 GMT) on Sunday, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Saturday.
Earlier, Trump tweeted: "Something very big has just happened!"
Al Jazeera's Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from Baghdad, said a lot of people would be relieved to hear of al-Baghdadi's death, if true.
"Analysts say the death will have a significant impact on the group. It will possibly weaken the group and, at least for a short period of time, until another leader is announced, they might be disorientated," she said.
The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday a "successful operation" resulted from joint intelligence work with the US, in an apparent reference to the reports surrounding al-Baghdadi.
"An historic, successful operation as a result of joint intelligence work with the United States of America," Mazloum Abdi said on Twitter.
Source:Tasnim
