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Pentagon Confirms U.S. Strike in Syria Killed ISIL Leader

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Defense Department officials have confirmed that a U.S. precision airstrike Aug. 30 targeting senior Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani was successful, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said today.

A Navy pilot assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 131 taxies an F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Persian Gulf, Sept. 9, 2016. The Eisenhower and its carrier strike group are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard
A Navy pilot assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 131 taxies an F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Persian Gulf, Sept. 9, 2016. The Eisenhower and its carrier strike group are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard
A Navy pilot assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 131 taxies an F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Persian Gulf, Sept. 9, 2016. The Eisenhower and its carrier strike group are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard
Eisenhower Deployment
A Navy pilot assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 131 taxies an F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Persian Gulf, Sept. 9, 2016. The Eisenhower and its carrier strike group are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard
Photo By: Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard
VIRIN: 160905-N-QI061-177A

In a statement, Cook said the strike near Al Bab, Syria, removes from the battlefield ISIL's chief propagandist, recruiter and architect of external terrorist operations.

Effort Will Continue

“It is one in a series of successful strikes against ISIL leaders, including those responsible for finances and military planning, that make it harder for the group to operate,” he said. “As we continue to gather momentum in our counter-ISIL campaign, we will continue to target ISIL leaders, relentlessly pursue its external plotters, and, working with our partners on the ground, we will not rest in our efforts to destroy ISIL's parent tumor in Iraq and Syria, combat its metastases around the world, and protect our homeland.”

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