Spies believe Isis boss Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is alive and running terror group despite rumours of death

WESTERN spies believe Isis boss Abu Bakr al-Baghdidi is alive and running the terror group despite rumours that he had died in the last few months.

Officials at the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US’ department of defense, said they thought he was ‘alive and leading’ the barbaric organisation.

Earlier this month top Isis officials reportedly gathered in Iraq to take part in a meeting in order to choose a new potential successor to al-Baghdadi.

According to the London based human rights organisation Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, the “commander of Jaysh al-Sham and commander of Al-Raqqah State” were asked to participate in the process.

Several attempts have been made on al-Baghdadi’s life and at the time of the emergency meeting it was speculated that he might have been killed, although this was never officially confirmed.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told on Thursday that US security agencies “do think Baghdadi is alive and is still leading” the radical Islamic group.

He said: “We are obviously doing everything we can to track his movements … If we get the opportunity, we certainly would take advantage of any opportunity to deliver him the justice he deserves.”

He added: “We're doing everything we can. This is something we're spending a lot of time on.”

Earlier this month America doubled the bounty on Baghdadi's head to £20 million.

The self-declared leader has been careful to reveal little about himself or his whereabouts.

The only known video footage of him was taken in 2014, when he gave a sermon in Mosul.

In November he released a defiant audio message, calling on his followers to defend the group's Iraqi capital.

It is not clear if he is living in the besieged city, where he declared Isis’ territory as a caliphate in 2014.

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