Eight senior figures from Islamic State have been killed in an air strike in western Iraq, but the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did not appear to be among them, local residents and hospital sources say.

Iraq said on Sunday its air force had hit a meeting of IS members and had also struck a convoy that was carrying Baghdadi to attend it.

It said Baghdadi had been driven away from the convoy in an unknown condition.

“Iraqi air forces have bombed the convoy of the terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while he was heading to Karabla to attend a meeting with Daesh commanders,” the Iraqi military said in a statement, using the Arabic word for the group.

“The location of the meeting was also bombed and many of the group’s leaders were killed and wounded. The fate of murderer al-Baghdadi is unknown and he was carried away by a vehicle. His health condition is still unclear,” the military said.

Local residents in Karabla, near the Syrian border, said eight IS leaders had been killed in an air strike, but that Baghdadi did not appear to be one of them.

Read the article “‘Unclear’ if ISIS Head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Killed in Deadly Air Strike, Iraq Says” on abc.net.au.