Iraqi warplanes have hit a house where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was holding a meeting with senior commanders, killing at least 13.

Baghdadi's name was not on a list of the dead published by the military following the attack on the western city of Anbar, on Saturday.

At least 64 lower-ranked IS fighters were killed in the same wave of air strikes in western Iraq, the statement added.

The Iraqi air force has killed 13 senior ISIS commanders in a strike on a building where leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (pictured) was thought to be

The military said Baghdadi moved last week in a convoy from Raqqa, in Syria, to the region of al-Qaim, on the Iraqi side of the border, to discuss 'the collapse happening in Mosul and to chose a successor for him' with commanders.

He has long been thought to be moving between ISIS territory in northeastern Syria and northwestern Iraq to evade capture.

Baghdadi, who is credited with transforming the breakaway al-Qaeda group turning it into the independent ISIS group that is arguably the most powerful and wealthiest jihadist organisation in the world, has been reported wounded several times in the past.

In mid-December, the US put a $25million bounty on Baghdadi's head.

The ISIS leader, whose real name is Ibrahim al-Samarrai, made his last known public message in November, when he called on ISIS fighters to defend Mosul, their last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

The military said Baghdadi moved last week in a convoy from Raqqa, in Syria, to the region of Qaim, over the border

THE SHADOWY ISIS LEADER Baghdadi - whose real name is Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim - is thought to have been born in Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971. Reports suggest he was a cleric in a mosque in the city around the time of the US-led invasion in 2003. Some believe he was already a militant jihadist during the rule of Saddam Hussein. Others believe he was radicalised during the four years he was held at Camp Bucca, a US facility in southern Iraq where many al-Qaeda commanders were detained. In October 2011, the US officially designated Baghdadi as 'terrorist' and offered a $10million reward for information leading to his capture or death. Under Baghdadi's leadership ISIS thugs have shocked the world with their sadistic and savage murder of thousands of people in the Middle East and Europe. He prefers to shun the spotlight for an aura of mystery that adds to his appeal, in direct contrast to the likes of Osama bin Laden, who regularly appeared in videos sprouting hate messages and was internationally known long before 9/11. In mid-December, the US put a $25million bounty on Baghdadi's head. Advertisement

Last week, Haider al-Abadi, Iraq's prime minister said the ISIS supremo had few trusted aides left as so many senior leaders had been killed in coalition air strikes.

He told France24 TV station: 'He's almost alone at the moment. He doesn't have many people to trust. He is in isolation, we're monitoring his movements.

'His communication with other terrorists is very low. In many times, it is almost nonexistent.'

Iraqi forces are nearly four months into a massive operation to retake nearby Mosul, which is the country's second city and where Baghdadi proclaimed a 'caliphate' in 2014.

The jihadist organisation then controlled around a third of Iraq, but federal and allied forces have since retaken around two thirds of that territory and Mosul is the terror group's last major stronghold.

After retaking the eastern side of Mosul last month, Iraqi forces are currently preparing to launch an assault on the part of the city that lies west of the Tigris River.

Commanders expect the battle to be fierce because the narrow streets of the Old City will complicate operations and the western side also harbours some traditional jihadist bastions.

Defence Minister Michael Fallon said on Saturday that he expected to see ISIS expelled from Iraq's major towns by the end of the year.

Mr al-Abadi, Iraq's PM, said last month he expected his forces would need three more months to rid the country of the murderous group.

A 60-nation coalition led by the US has carried out thousands of air strikes in support of the war on ISIS and provided assistance and training to thousands of Iraqi forces.

Britain is a key member of that coalition, together with France, Italy and Australia.

Fallon said the Royal Air Force had struck 300 targets in and around Mosul since the operation to retake the city began on October 17.