US air strike kills top IS leader in Syria

Washington, August 31

The Islamic State’s spokesman and strategist of external terror operations, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, the group has announced, as the US confirmed it had targeted him in an air strike in the same area.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that it had targeted the prominent ISIS leader in a precision strike near the town of Al Bab and was still assessing the results.

The terror group had announced Adnani’s death through its news outlet, Amaq, yesterday. He was “martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo”, Amaq said, and vowed to avenge his death, according to media reports.

Adnani had served as principal architect of the terror group’s external operations and as its chief spokesman.

“Today coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Al Bab, Syria, targeting Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani, one of ISIL’s most senior leaders.

“We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani’s removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

Adnani had coordinated the movement of IS fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new members, the Pentagon spokesperson said.

“The US military will continue to prioritise and relentlessly target ISIL leaders and external plotters in order to defend our homeland, our allies and our partners, while we continue to gather momentum in destroying ISIL’s parent tumour in Iraq and Syria and combat its metastases around the world,” Cook said. — PTI