The elusive Islamic State (Isis) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may have been operating out of Raqqa, the terror group's de facto capital in Syria, during Ramadan, suggest US intelligence sources based on their surveillance.
But the intelligence was not precise enough to launch air-strikes on him and in any case, the intelligence inputs "dried up" about three weeks ago.
The US Cental Command, responsible for coordinating the air-strikes on Isis targets in Syria and Iraq, could not launch an attack on time for want of specific coordinates of al-Baghdadi, according to CNN.
Officials sources are reportedly sure that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive.
In the last few weeks, the Kurdish militia forces have moved quite close to Isis' de facto capital Raqqa. Kurdish militia currently are around 60 km from the Syrian city. Senior US officials told CNN that this factor has contributed a lot in improving the surveillance on 'high value' targets such as Isis leader al-Baghdadi.
US CENTCOM on Thursday announced that it had carried out five air-strikes on Isis targets in Raqqa.
Defence Secretary Ash Carter, earlier in the month, told the media that US-led coalition forces are waiting for an opportunity to kill Isis leader Baghdadi.
"If we had an opportunity to go after Baghdadi, if that opportunity presented itself and we looked for that opportunity, we would certainly take it," Carter had said.
