Russia has mocked America's claim that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a raid at the weekend, calling it the 'umpteenth' report of the cleric's death.

Moscow's Defence Ministry said it 'does not have reliable information about the actions of the US army' while suggesting that the terrorist leader may still be alive.

Baghdadi has been reported dead several times since he rose to prominence as ISIS's leader in 2014, most recently by Russia - which claimed to have killed him in an airstrike in Raqqa in June 2017.

Caliphate leader: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is thought to have detonated his own suicide vest during the targeted raid on his lair in Syria's Idlib province. He is shown in a still from a video released in April, having not been seen since he spoke at the Grand Mosque in Mosul in 2014

Syrians ride a motorcycle past a burnt vehicle near the site where a helicopter gunfire reportedly killed nine people near the northwestern Syrian village of Barisha. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reportedly among those who died in the attack

Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for Russia's Defence Ministry, said: 'The ministry does not have reliable information about the actions of the US army in the Idlib 'de-escalation' zone... concerning the umpteenth "death" of Baghdadi.'

At the time of its raid, Russia claimed to have killed 300 ISIS fighters including 30 mid-level leaders and Baghdadi.

America poured cold water on the claims, saying there was no independent evidence of the extremist's death.

Observer groups Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said reports of the raid had been greatly exaggerated, putting the death toll at fewer than 20 people.

A video released by ISIS in April 2019 showed Baghdadi sitting cross-legged on the floor and urging supporters to renew faith, putting paid to Moscow's claims.

The latest claim of Baghdadi's demise came from President Donald Trump who said the terror leader blew himself up with a suicide vest along with three of his children during a raid on his compound by US forces overnight Saturday.

Trump said that al-Baghdadi died 'whimpering and crying' during the raid, which he called a major victory over the jihadist group.

He was positively identified by DNA tests 15 minutes after he died, the President said.

A spokesperson for Russia's Defense Ministry doubted American claims that al-Baghdadi died. He also said it was unaware of any Russian assistance to American forces who carried out a raid which purportedly killed al-Baghdadi. A Russian military vehicle is seen above in northern Syria on Saturday

'He was a sick and depraved man and now he's gone,' said Trump, adding that capturing or killing al-Baghdadi had been the top national security priority for his administration.

The death of al-Baghdadi is a severe blow to Islamic State, which has been in disarray and has no declared successor as leader yet.

But the group has in the past proved resilient, continuing to mount or inspire attacks in the region and beyond despite losing most of its territory in recent years.

Trump said 'many' of al-Baghdadi's people were killed in the raid and added that in blowing himself up, al-Baghdadi also killed three of his children.

U.S. forces suffered no personnel losses, he said. He also thanked Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq for their support.

Turkey said it was proud to have helped 'bring a notorious terrorist to justice' and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on an 'impressive achievement.'

But Russia's response was muted.

Al-Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States as head of a jihadist group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate.

Al-Baghdadi, the leader of the so-called Islamic caliphate, reportedly blew himself up during the targeted attack on his lair in Syria's Idlib province in the early hours of Sunday morning

Islamic State has carried out atrocities against religious minorities and attacks on five continents in the name of an ultra-fanatic version of Islam that horrified mainstream Muslims.

'The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, panic and dread, terrified of the American forces coming down on him,' Trump said.

'He reached the end of the tunnel as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and his three children. His body was mutilated by the blasts. The tunnel had caved on him,' Trump added.

'He died ... whimpering and crying and screaming.'

This is the second time in as many days that Russia has criticized the United States over its actions in Syria.

A picture taken on October 27, 2019 shows a burnt vehicle at the site where a helicopter gunfire reportedly killed nine people near the northwestern Syrian village of Barisha in the province of Idlib near the border with Turkey

Russia's defense ministry on Saturday attacked U.S. plans to maintain and boost the American military presence in eastern Syria as 'international state banditry' motivated by a desire to protect oil smugglers and not by real security concerns.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday Washington would send armored vehicles and troops to the Syrian oil fields in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of Islamic State militants.

His comments came after Trump earlier this month pulled some 1,000 U.S. military personnel out of northeast Syria, a move that prompted Turkey to launch a cross-border incursion targeting the Kurdish YPG militia, a former U.S. ally against Islamic State.

Trump's decision drew an angry backlash from Congress, including key Republicans who saw the pullout as a betrayal of the Kurds and a move that could bolster Islamic State.

Trump announces al-Baghdadi's death during a statement at the White House on Sunday morning

Reports suggest that al-Baghdadi, the elusive militant who has been the subject of an international manhunt for years, had been killed in Idlib, Syria

In a statement, Russia's defense ministry said Washington had no mandate under international or U.S. law to increase its military presence in Syria and said its plan was not motivated by genuine security concerns in the region.

'Therefore Washington's current actions - capturing and maintaining military control over oil fields in eastern Syria - is, simply put, international state banditry,' it said.

U.S. troops and private security companies in eastern Syria are protecting oil smugglers who make more than $30million a month, the statement said.

Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar Assad and has helped him turn the tide of a bloody civil war, has long insisted that the U.S. military presence in Syria is illegal.

Moscow has further bolstered its position in Syria following the U.S. withdrawal from the northeast of the country, negotiating a deal this week with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan to help remove the Kurdish YPG militia from within a 19-mile strip along the Syrian-Turkish border.

Ankara views the YPG as terrorists linked to Kurdish insurgents operating in southeast Turkey.