Airstrikes target ISIL leaders; unclear if al-Baghdadi was among them
Coalition airstrikes struck a convoy of Islamic State leaders near Mosul on Saturday, but there's no confirmation whether the militant group's head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed, a defense official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly disclose details. Ref. USAToday
Fate of 'critically wounded' ISIS chief unclear:
The leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was "Critically wounded" When a U.S.-led air strike targeted the western Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, tribal sources told Al Arabiya News Channel on Saturday. Ref. Source 2
Islamic State claims in unverified new video American Peter Kassig beheaded
The radical jihadist group ISIS or ISIL has released a video it says shows American aid worker Peter Kassig being beheaded in Syria. The video was posted on social media early Sunday. The video has not been confirmed as genuine and it is not clear that footage depicts Kassig. The video is over 15 minutes long and appears to show several other men, perhaps as many as a dozen, being beheaded. Ref. USAToday
Islamic State: Senior IS leader reportedly killed in air strike in Mosul:
They said Radwan Taleb al-Hamdouni, who they described as the radical militant group's leader in Mosul, was killed with his driver when their car was hit in a western district of the city on Wednesday afternoon. Ref. Source 2
Islamic State stockpiles silver, gold to make own currency:
The Islamic State is accumulating gold, silver and copper in markets throughout northern and western Iraq, dealers report, in an apparent effort to stockpile enough precious metal to follow through on a pledge to mint its own currency. Ref. Source 3