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Isis chief spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani wounded during Iraq air strikes, says military

Abu Mohammed al-Adnani reportedly lost ‘a large amount of blood’ after being injured

Kate Ng
Friday 08 January 2016 19:16 GMT
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Chief spokesman of Isis, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani
Chief spokesman of Isis, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani (YouTube)

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An Isis leader and chief spokesman has been wounded during an air strike in the western province of Anbar in Iraq, a military statement claims.

Abu Mohammed al-Adnani was injured in an air strike that hit the town of Barwana several days ago, according Iraqi military.

He lost a “large amount of blood” in the attack and was moved to Mosul under tight security, the statement reportedly said.

According to CNN, a spokesman for the US-led Joint Operations Command said authorities had been tracking and following Adnani for over a month, but they could not confirm the report.

He reportedly said Isis’s chief spokesman was given two bags of blood to stabilise his condition.

Adnani – a Syrian who joined the extremist group’s predecessor, al-Qaeda, more than ten years ago – has been one of the most public figures of the group.

He has made several audio recordings and has been floated as the next possible leader of Isis if Baghdadi were to cease being in that position.

Adnani has been the chief propagandist for the jihadi group since it declared its so-called caliphate after seizing large amounts of territory in Iraq and Syria.

In fact, he was the first to declare a “caliphate” in parts of Iraq and Syria, indicating Isis’ goal of being a governing entity.

Adani was also the voice behind the ‘Die For Your Rage’ speech released in September 2014, a nine-minute recording of Adnani urging Muslims to carry out “lone wolf attacks” in Western countries they were in.

Author of the book The Isis Apocalypse, William McCants, told Reuters that if the news is true, “Baghdadi has lost a very trusted advisor” and this would be a setback for Isis.

More than 100 Isis fighters were killed in and around Barwana this week due to the US-led air strike campaign aimed at helping the Iraqi army fight off militant offensives near the city of Haditha, according to the Joint Operations Command.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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