It is not clear whether the leader of Islamic State has been killed in United States-led air strikes in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
The US has taken the lead in air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Photo: AFP
The US military said the air strikes destroyed a convoy of Islamic State trucks but it was not known if Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was in one of the vehicles targeted.
The BBC reports that Baghdadi made a rare public appearance at a mosque in Mosul in July.
IS militants control large areas of Iraq and Syria but have been targeted by hundreds of air strikes by the US-led coalition since August.
The statement said that 10 armed IS trucks were destroyed in the air strikes, which "demonstrates the pressure we continue to place on the IS terrorist network".
The US, Iraq and other Western and Arab countries have formed a coalition against the militant group.
The Pentagon announced on Saturday that 1,500 additional US troops will join the 1,600 military advisers that are already in Iraq to assist the country's army.
President Obama also plans to request $5.6 billion from Congress, including $1.6 billion to be used to train and arm Iraqi forces, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.