Abu Mohammad al-Adnani
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani | |
|---|---|
أبو محمد العدناني | |
Photo featured in IS propaganda, also used by U.S. State Department, January 2012. | |
| Born | Taha Sobhi Falaha 1977 |
| Died | 30 August 2016 (aged 38–39) |
| Cause of death | Air strike |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Occupation | Official spokesman of the Islamic State |
| Successor | Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir |
| Movement | Islamic State |
| Criminal charge(s) | Designated a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council and the US State Department |
Taha Sobhi Falaha (1977 – 30 August 2016), commonly known by his nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Adnani al-Shami, was a Syrian-born militant leader who was the official spokesperson and a senior leader of the Islamic State. He was described as the chief of its external operations. He was the second most senior leader of the Islamic State after its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Media reports in August 2016 suggested he was in charge of a special unit, known as the Emni, that was established by IS in 2014 with the double objective of internal policing and executing operations outside IS territory.
On 5 May 2015, the U.S. State Department Rewards for Justice Program announced a reward up to US$5 million for information leading to his capture.
On 30 August 2016, the Islamic State announced al-Adnani had been killed in Aleppo Province. A number of fighting forces claimed responsibility for al-Adnani's death. On 12 September 2016, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that a U.S. coalition airstrike had killed al-Adnani, even though the Russian Federation had already claimed that Adnani had been killed in a Russian airstrike involving an Su-34 bomber.