US confirms key 'IS' leader killed in Syria
September 13, 2016
Abu Mohammed al-Adnani was considered one of the jihadist group's top leaders. Al-Adnani led the group's strategy to conduct attacks abroad by recruiting foreign fighters, forming militant cells in Europe and inspiring lone wolves to launch their own assaults.
"The strike near Al Bab, Syria, removes from the battlefield ISIL's chief propagandist, recruiter and architect of external terrorist operations," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement, using another acronym for the group.
"It is one in a series of successful strikes against ISIL leaders, including those responsible for finances and military planning, that make it harder for the group to operate," he added.
IS said on August 30 al-Adnani had been "martyred" while conducting a review of military operations around Aleppo.
The Pentagon had said they targeted al-Adnani but were trying to confirm his death.
He was taken out by a Predator drone armed with a Hellfire missile that targeted a car he was travelling in.
Russia also took credit for his death shortly after it was announced, a claim the Pentagon described as a "joke."
cw/gsw (AFP, AP, Reuters)