We have been here so many times before with the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi being reported. Either that, or him being badly injured in meetings he was having with his IS colleagues or in an IS convoy. This is the first time the Russians have announced a direct strike on the Islamic State leader.
According to a report in the Independent, "The Russian defence ministry says it believes it may have killed the Isis leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in an air strike south of Raqqa, Syria." If this is true, the Russians may have killed not only the Caliph himself but 330 IS fighters who were also attending a meeting.
In line with all previous speculation about Baghdadi being killed or injured, this report too must be treated with caution until definitive proof arrives.
Rex Tillerson announces IS deputies also killed in different airstrikes
Rex Tillerson has said with the many airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq many of Baghdadi's deputies have also been taken out.
If the IS leader has been killed then it is not always easy to find a charismatic leader of the same calibre. For example, look at Al-Qaeda. Ayman al-Zawahiri who replaced Osama Bin Laden does not seem to have the same charisma as Osama had.
Al-Qaeda still exists but how much influence and control Zawahiri has over Al-Qaeda is open to question.
The destruction of Islamic State premature?
Islamic State, as long as they can hold out in places like Mosul and Raqqa is still a military threat even if it is just bombing, stabbings, and shootings as witnessed in Iran or the UK recently.
All around them their caliphate is collapsing and they are reaping the whirlwind they created as was said about the Nazis during the last World War.
They will be fighting in the shadows too as their conventional military setup was destroyed in Iraq and Syria. Even if Islamic State ceased to exist tomorrow the very ideas they have encouraged have been and will be taken up unfortunately by people inspired by their message of global jihad.
It is also possible that as the Islamic States influence wanes in Iraq and Syria they will look elsewhere around the world to begin their caliphate again.
Already IS has operations in Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places around the world where they must be confronted and stopped. The conflict with global terrorism whether from IS or Al-Qaeda will not be over very soon. It is a problem that will be with us for many years to come and it will need a multi - pronged approach not just a military option.
The war on terror as it has been called will last generations perhaps. Have the forces confronting this threat got the stomach to see it through?
