ISIS' Number Two Killed in Air Strike: Will It Weaken the Terrorist Group?

ISIS’ Amaq News Agency reported that Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, one of the group’s most prominent and longest-tenured leaders, was killed in an air strike on Tuesday while surveying military operations in Aleppo, Syria. Adnani was ISIS’ second in command, behind leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and also served as the group’s most senior Syrian operative, propaganda chief, top spokesperson, and head of external operations.

In an interview with The New York Times, Harry Sarfo, a former ISIS militant who is now jailed in Germany, explained that Adnani oversaw ISIS’ “secret service” and personally selected which gruesome videos to promote on social media. Adnani also released several online audio files in which he urged followers to carry out attacks, especially during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In May 2015, the U.S. State Department announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

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