This undated militant image provided by SITE Intel Group shows Abu Muhammed al-Adnani, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group鈥檚 spokesperson. ISIS said Adnani was 鈥渕artyred鈥� in northern Syria. The ISis-run Amaq news agency said Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 that al-Adnani was 鈥渕artyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo,鈥� without providing further details. 聽AP
BEIRUT, Lebanon 鈥� The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group said Tuesday its spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, as the US confirmed an ISIS 鈥渟enior leader鈥� was targeted in the same area.
Quoting an ISIS 鈥渕ilitary source鈥�, the group鈥檚 news agency Amaq said: 鈥淪heikh Abu Mohamed al-Adnani鈥� was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo.鈥�
It said he died after a 鈥渓ong voyage crowned by sacrifice鈥� and vowed 鈥渞evenge鈥� at the hands of a 鈥渘ew generation born unto the Islamic State鈥�.
搁贰础顿:听
Meanwhile in Washington, a US defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity: 鈥淐oalition forces conducted an air strike in Al-Bab, Syria, targeting a senior leader.鈥�
鈥淲e are still assessing the results of the operation at this time,鈥� the official added, without specifying whether Adnani was the high-level target.
In September 2014, the US government designated Adnani a 鈥済lobal terrorist鈥� and the State Department has offered a $5 million reward for anyone who supplies information 鈥渢hat brings him to justice.鈥�
Analysts have described Adnani as a key figure in the jihadist group.
搁贰础顿:听
鈥淚n the collective jihadist memory Abu Mohamed al-Adnani will always be the one who announced the 鈥榬estoration of the caliphate鈥� in June 2014,鈥� said expert Romain Caillet.
Adnani was originally from the western Syrian province of Idlib and joined the jihadist movement in Iraq, where he served now slain Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and held several positions.
Aymenn Jawad Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, said Adnani鈥檚 death was 鈥渟ignificant symbolically and in pointing to the wider decline of the Islamic State鈥�.
鈥淚f a coalition air strike hit him, it shows intelligence penetration by the coalition is very high. Otherwise it would not have been possible to take out so many high-ranking figures,鈥� he said.
Another analyst, Charles Lister, tweeted that Adnani鈥檚 death was a 鈥渂ig blow to ISIS鈥�.
Amaq did not say how Adnani was 鈥渕artyred鈥�.
ISIS has regularly urged followers to target disbelievers.
Adnani made such a request in September 2014, calling on supporters to use stones, knives or even vehicles in their attacks to kill French or US citizens.