Commander says he doesn't know if ISIS leader is alive, hopes he's 'deader than a doornail'

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite several reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, Gen. Stephen Townsend, commanding officer of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, is adamant that he has seen absolutely no proof of al-Baghdadi's demise.

"Despite all the helpful reports to us from every source imaginable, I'm unable to confirm or deny where he is, or whether he is alive or dead," he said Tuesday. "Let me just say, for the record, my fervent hope is it is the latter. I don't know how to say it any other way … I don't have a clue. Simple as that. So, don't know if he's alive. Don't know if he's dead. I don't know where he's alive. I don't know where his dead body is. I don't have a clue. I'm not trying to message anything."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.