Key IS leader killed in apparent US strike in Syria: Report

Beirut/Washington, Aug 31: The Islamic State (IS) on Tuesday (Aug 30) said one of its longest-serving leader fell in what is believed to be an American air strike in war-torn Syria, Reuters reported.

An American defence official told Reuters that the US targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a strike on a moving vehicle in al-Bab in Syria's Aleppo governorate. The official, however, did not confirm the IS leader's death.

Adnani was one of the most prominent leaders of the IS, BBC cited the Ahmaq News Agency as saying.

Adnani was known for his moves for lone-wolf attacks at various corners of the West.

He was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo", Amaq said, according to one IANS report.

Sources in the Pentagon also said that Adnani's "removal from the battlefienld" would be a significant blow to the terror outfit.

Clashes have intensified in Aleppo in recent weeks with rebels breaking a siege by the Bashar al-Assad regime and Russian forces attacking rebel-held areas from the air.

Oneindia News

[With agency imputs]