US Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed that a US precision airstrike has killed senior ISIS leader, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, in Syria.
The airstrike, which was carried out on 30 August near Al Bab, Syria, targeted al-Adnani who is ISIS's chief propagandist, recruiter and architect of external terrorist operations.
In a statement, Cook said: “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.
“As we continue to gather momentum in our counter-ISIL campaign, we will continue to target ISIL leaders, relentlessly pursue its external plotters, and, working with our partners on the ground, we will not rest in our efforts to destroy ISIL's parent tumour in Iraq and Syria, combat its metastases around the world, and protect our homeland.”
The confirmation follows after Russia claimed that one of its Su-34 bombers had killed him last month.
NBC News has reported that Al-Adnani was declared by the US as a 'specially designated global terrorist' in August 2014. He is also the first foreign fighter to oppose US coalition forces in Iraq.
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By GlobalDataMeanwhile, the new cease-fire deal has taken effect across Syria after sundown on Monday.
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it recorded no civilian deaths in the first 15 hours of the cease-fire, and that the ‘majority of Syrian provinces have witnessed silence during the last night’.
Image: A Navy pilot taxies an F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Photo: courtesy of Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard.