The jihadi general, who declared a caliphate governed from a mosque in Mosul in 2014, was thought to have been killed in a Russian airstrike earlier this year.
But US Army Lt Gen Stephen Townsend, who commands the coalition forces fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, said he based his claim on “lack of evidence” of al-Baghdadi’s death as well as intelligence of the contrary.
Speaking from his Baghdad HQ he told reporters: “Do I believe he’s alive? Yes.”
And he added: “There are also some indicators in intelligence channels that he’s alive.”
Russia said in June there was a “high probability” al-Baghdadi was killed when one of their airstrikes hit a gathering of ISIS commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
But a month later officials admitted they could not confirm his death.
Kurdish counter-terrorism officer Lahur Talabany said he was 99 per cent sure that al-Baghdadi had simply gone into hiding.
He said: “Don’t forget his roots go back to al-Qaeda days in Iraq. He was hiding from security services. He knows what he is doing.”
ISIS reportedly admitted al-Baghdadi’s death and appeared to confirm it when Abu Haitham al-Obaidi, deputy mayor of Hawija in northern Iraq, declared himself the new leader in July.
But Lt Gen Townsend confirmed US and coalition forces are actively searching for al-Baghdadi and said: “If they find him, they probably will kill him rather than capture him.”
He said al-Baghdadi had probably gone to ground in the Middle Euphrates River Valley which stretches from the city of Deir el-Zour in eastern Syria to the town of Rawa in western Iraq.
Lt Gen Townsend said this area would probably by the extremist group’s last stand after it was driven out of most of northern Iraq.
ISIS still controls a large area of eastern Syria along the border with Iraq, as well as parts of Raqqa, the capital of the group’s self-styled caliphate.