Senior ISIS Leader Killed in US Airstrike near Aleppo

The United States military is expected to claim credit for killing one of the Islamic State’s founding leaders after ISIS announced the death of Abu Mohammed Al-Adnani. ISIS said Al-Adnani was killed by an apparent US air strike against the vehicle he was traveling in and the Reuters news agency quoted an American source as admitting the military had targeted Al-Adnani in Syria. But aside from the ISIS statement, there has so far not been any independent confirmation of the terrorist leader’s death. Al-Adnani was in charge of overseas operations, including the sensational attacks in Europe over the past year. He was also the spokesman for ISIS. Western officials are hoping that the hit will impair the ability of ISIS to carry out foreign attacks. Contrary to those who attribute poverty to the motivation of terrorist forces like ISIS, Al-Adnani – like many other terrorist leaders — came from a well-to-do family in Syria.  The US program that pays bounties for certain terrorists offered a $5 million reward for his death of capture. Meanwhile, 72 mass graves containing the remains of thousands murdered by ISIS were located in Iraq.