Isis chief Baghdadi 'Prophet Mohammed dream' rumour spreads amid tension before Mosul battle

The Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) has claimed on its official website that the leader of the Islamic State (Isis) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had a dream in which Prophet Mohammed ordered him to evacuate the Iraqi city of Mosul.

The bizarre claim has been republished by several Iraqi media news sites, which cited "local sources" in Mosul as saying that IS militants are ready to pull out from the city.

The KDP site reported that "Baghdadi ordered his fighters to withdraw from the city, following his dream that he met Prophet Mohammed, who ordered him to leave Mosul city."

Rumours of Baghdadi's alleged dream are said to have spread among IS fighters and the local population.

The report, which could not be independently verified by IBTimes UK, reveals a sentiment of impatience and wishful thinking among the Kurds, as the Iraqi army's offensive on Tikrit has reached a stalemate nearly two weeks since its start.

Iraqi forces launched an attack to push IS out of Saddam Hussein's hometown, with a force of 30,000 Sunni and Shi'ite fighters. Taking back Tikrit could serve as a launchpad for a key battle to seize Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, back from the jihadists.

However, despite claims of victory by Iraqi forces there were no major advances in Tikrit in the past few hours. The army and Shi'ite-backed militia said they are waiting for reinforcements before moving forward. Officials are complaining about booby traps and bombs left by IS militants while retreating from parts of the city.

Kurdish authorities announced that they had proof IS used chlorine against Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in a car bombing west of Mosul in January.

"We found a number of storage units containing chlorine that we think were seized by Daesh [IS] from water purification stations in different parts of Tikrit," al-Alam mayor Laith al-Jubouri said.