Abu Muhammed al-Adnani, spokesman for the Islamic State, has been killed in northern Syria, according to the IS semi-official news agency Amaq.
Advertisement
The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday evening that USA -led coalition forces targeted Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani in an airstrike on Tuesday.
USA military sources told various news outlets on Tuesday afternoon that they had targeted an “ISIL senior leader” near al-Bab – between Aleppo and Manbij – on Tuesday, but refused to confirm that it was Adnani.
Born in 1977, al-Adnani made a point of encouraging supporters to kill Western non-believers wherever they could.
The United States designated him a “global terrorist” this year and says he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose USA -led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.
U.S. confirms Daesh top fighter Adnani targeted in Syria was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on August 31, 2016 and was last updated on August 31, 2016.
Al-Adnani was mostly known for his calls for lone-wolf attacks in the West and his uncompromising rhetoric.
In a longer statement posted on Telegram, Amaq boasted of the group’s resilience despite Adnani’s death.
The US had designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and described him as a senior leader and official spokesman for IS.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Adnani was an important part of Islamic State’s operations planning.
The announcement came as a United States defence official said an IS “senior leader” was targeted in a US-led coalition air strike Tuesday in Aleppo province.
More often than not, such attacks will be carried out by individuals (as was the case in Nice, Ansbach, Orlando and Rouen) with a complex mix of personal and religious grievances who adopt the ISIS brand late in the day.
It would be a significant blow at a time when the group is already fending off attacks from Western-backed forces on the ground and a two-year air campaign that has deprived it of territory and resources.
Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group mean Baghdad is on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the USA military’s Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.
The Islamic State group says its spokesperson has been killed in in northern Syria. It said a generation raised in IS-held territory will take revenge.
Advertisement
Earlier this year, Adnani called for massive attacks during Ramadan – a call that translated into the bloodiest Muslim holy month in recent memory.
