Number 2 Commander of ISIS Killed

The Islamic State says its No.2 commander in all of its territories has been killed by a precision strike near Al-Bab, a Syrian town near the Turkish border.Abu Muhammed Al-Adnani was the Islamic State's charismatic director of external operations and was in charge of most of its propaganda. He topped the United States' kill list and had a bounty of $5 million on his head."We are still assessing the results of the strike, but al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to [ISIS]," said Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook in a statement.It is not yet clear which country's military actually killed al-Adnani. The Turkish air force has been operating in the area along with assistance from U.S. Intelligence services.

No. 2 Commander Inspired Countless Lone Wolf Attacks, Fighters to Travel to Syria

Al-Adnani was perhaps best known for his tendency to incite foreigners to conduct "lone-wolf" terror attacks on the West."If you can kill a disbelieving American or European-especially the spiteful and filthy French-or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be," he said in 2014 in an ISIS recording.Terrorism analysts say he was "tremendously influential" in convincing lone wolf attackers to carry out terrorist attacks worldwide in the name of the Islamic State.Al-Adnani swore allegiance to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq after crossing from Syria to fight American forces in 2003. He was captured and taken into U.S. military custody in 2005, but was freed in 2010.His death comes less than six months after the deaths of ISIS' finance minister and No. 3 fighter.The deaths come as a setback to a beleaguered ISIS which has been steadily losing cities and territory, particularly in Iraq. Fighters have of late been complaining of bad pay and lack of vacation days, a result of the strapped finances of ISIS and its