
A news agency linked to the Islamic State,
Amaq, claimed that its elite military commander
Abu Omar al-Shishani, has been killed.
The 30-year-old better known as Omar the
Chechen, reportedly died in combat near the
Iraqi city of Shirqat, 100km from the ISIS
stronghold of Mosul.
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The Pentagon is verifying whether al-Shishani
died in a US drone strike carried out earlier this
month, officials told CNN. Washington
previously boasted that it took out al-Shishani,
who has a $5 million bounty on his head, in
Syria in March, only to backtrack when Islamic
State said he survived his injuries.
Al-Shishani was born into a mixed Georgian-
Chechen family, and served in a spec ops unit
in the Georgian army, before volunteering to
join Islamic State three years ago. He was
reportedly consulted by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-
Baghdadi on key military movements, as the
Islamist group expanded its reach, earning the
the title 'minister of war.'
Source: RT/CNN
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