Al-Adnani’s death was confirmed by several intelligence channels.
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The Russians said al-Adnani was one of up to 40 rebels killed by air strikes by a Russian Su-34 bomber in Maaratat-Umm Khaush in the Aleppo province.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Adnani was targeted in a precision airstrike near Al Bab, Syria, which is east of Aleppo, by the USA -led coalition, and that the results of the strike are still being assessed.
The death of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, 39, would mark the highest profile killing of an ISIS member yet.
“Al-Adnani has served as principal architect of ISIL’s external operations and as ISIL’s chief spokesman”.
In December, a senior intelligence source told NBC that Adnani was the member of ISIL – not the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – that the USA wanted dead the most. Prior to joining ISIS, Al-Adnani was a member of Al-Qaeda.
After his arrival in Syria, he was appointed deputy of Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq for the northern province, then as the security leader before assuming a key role in external operations for ISIS, according to the UN Security Council.
A USA defense official called Adnani “one of ISIL’s most senior leaders”, stressing that he was “way more” than simply the group’s spokesman.
The split among the violent jihadists in Syria led to much blood-letting.
On July 13, Amaq announced the death of senior IS commander Abu Omar al-Shishani, whose nom de guerre means Omar the Chechen, near Mosul in northern Iraq.
Even after announcing al-Adnani’s death, ISIS’s Amaq media agency boasted of the group’s resilience.
The group rarely hands propaganda victories to the West, instead waiting weeks or even months before confirming the death of one of its fighters. Al-Adnani was in charge of overseas operations, including the sensational attacks in Europe over the past year.
Al-Adnani, a close associate of ISIS’ leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, is known as “Amir Asham” within the organisation.
A Syrian national born Taha Sobhi Falaha, al-Adnani was a core member of ISIS, considered by some as second only to leader Abu Bakir al-Baghdadi.
In June 2014, he was the first to declare a caliphate for parts of Syria and Iraq, indicating ISIS’ aim of not just being a terrorist group but a governing entity.
Adnani, a senior leader in the group, has been the voice of Islamic State over the past few years, and has released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to carry out attacks.
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Followers of IS carried out attacks on several continents, including the Orlando shooting in the United States, the Nice truck attack in France and a massive suicide bombing in central Baghdad.
