US, Russia claim credit as ISIS spokesman killed in Syria

ISIS spokesman and top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani has been killed in Syria, the group said, with both Washington and Moscow claiming credit. 


Adnani was ISIS' propaganda chief, top recruiter and the reported mastermind of a string of ISIS-claimed attacks in the West. 


In Washington, the Pentagon said US-led coalition forces had targeted Adnani in an air strike in Syria's Aleppo province on Tuesday but did not immediately confirm his death. 


Russia's military said one of its air strikes had killed Adnani in a bombing raid Tuesday that left up to 40 ISIS extremists dead. 


Regardless of who was responsible, analysts say his death will be a major blow to ISIS, which has suffered a series of setbacks this year including territorial losses in Syria and Iraq and the killings of other top figures. 


Adnani, a Syrian born in 1977, was one of ISIS most recognized leaders, at the heart of a sophisticated propaganda and recruitment machine that produced slick videos and sustained a huge social media presence. 


He was reported to have been involved in organizing a series of high-profile ISIS attacks abroad that killed hundreds, including in Paris, Brussels and Istanbul

Source: NNA