ISIL's future appears to be in a doubt as the whereabouts of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are still unknown. 

It was reported in June that al-Baghdadi had died, but there was no confirmation from ISIL itself and the claim was questioned by the US. 

Al-Baghdadi was last seen in public in 2014, declaring a caliphate at the al-Nuri mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul. The landmark was blown up by ISIL militants before government forces seized the site late June. 

As ISIL-controlled areas shrink, some are pinpointing the borderlands of Syria and Iraq as al-Baghdadi's hideout, if he is still alive. ISIL still claims the area as its "land to rule".