Has Russia Killed ISIS Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? 4 Reasons to Be Skeptical

Russia’s defense ministry declared on Friday that it may have killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in an airstrike on May 28, claiming credit for possibly assassinating the world’s most wanted terrorist.

If confirmed, Baghdadi’s death would be an important symbolic blow against the Islamic State, depriving a hierarchical organization of its top leader, the man who declared himself the leader of a caliphate and called on Muslims across the world to join him.