Islamic State spokesman killed in the northern parts of Syria

Following the death of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State group’s spokesman has also been killed on Sunday in the northern parts of Syria, according to a top Kurdish official. The official with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces-who asked not to be named as he does not have the clearance to speak on the issue stated that the IS spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir had been killed.

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'Al-Muhajir, the right-hand of Baghdadi and the spokesman for IS'

“Al-Muhajir, the right-hand of Baghdadi and the spokesman for IS, was targeted in the village of Ain al-Baydah near Jarablus, in a coordinated operation between SDF intelligence and the US army,” Abdi said on Twitter. An AFP correspondent in Ain al-Baydah, which is controlled by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels, said two vehicles were hit by airstrikes: a small pickup truck and a larger truck carrying a small metal container. 

The AFP correspondent saw two corpses lying outside the first vehicle while a third charred body was in the metal container. He could not identify who was behind the strikes or if they were carried out by warplanes or a drone. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the death of al-Muhajir, saying he was among five IS members who were killed in a US-led operation backed by the SDF. In a later post on Twitter, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said, “We believe ISIS spox. Al-Muhajir was in Jarablus to facilitate Baghdadi’s entry to Euphrates Shield area,” referring to a zone in northern Syria controlled by Turkey’s Syria proxies. “The two US-led operations have effectively disabled top ISIS leadership who were hiding in northwest Syria. More still remain hiding in the same area,” Bali said. 

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Died "like a coward"

Addressing a media briefing from the White House on Sunday, POTUS Trump confirmed the killing of ISIS chief and terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. An overnight operation led by U.S. military forces in Syria killed Baghdadi, Trump said. The POTUS added that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest after being caught at the end of a tunnel by special forces. He also added that at his direction, "USA obliterated ISIS." Detailing about the operation, Trump said that al-Baghdadi was in a room with 11 children. He said that the operation began at 5'o clock and lift-off started 'moments after that'. He then added that the world's most dangerous terrorist died "like a coward". He said that Baghdadi died at the end of the tunnel as the US forces' attack dogs chased him. According to the POTUS, Baghdadi triggered his suicide vest with 3 children around him, after which the tunnel he was in caved in.

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(INPUTS FROM PTI)