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Top ISIS figure killed in Syria

Posted at 7:51 AM, Jun 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-02 07:51:10-04

One of ISIS’ most important figures has been killed by an airstrike in eastern Syria, according to sources close to his family and Telegram accounts of ISIS supporters.

Sources tell CNN that Turki al-Binali was killed in Mayadin, near Deir ez-Zor, in recent days. The US Department of Defense confirmed Saturday that coalition forces had conducted strikes near Mayadin on May 25 and 26.

The strikes were conducted against ISIS propaganda production facilities in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said.

The Telegram account of ISIS supporters posted a brief eulogy and a biography of the ISIS leader. Telegram is an instant messaging service.

Binali, a Bahraini who was about 32 years old, was regarded as one of the group’s most influential ideologues and preachers.

Turki al-Binali

ISIS has not confirmed his death through its official media outlets.

The terror group has come under increased pressure in Syria in recent months, steadily losing ground to US-backed Kurdish fighters and Syrian government forces.

In May, Kurdish militants wrested the strategic city of Tabqa from ISIS, further tightening the noose around Raqqa, ISIS’s self-declared capital.

In Iraq, government forces are advancing on the last few neighborhoods of Mosul still controlled by ISIS.