Abu Mohammad al-Adnani
Taha Sobhi Falaha (Arabic: طٰهٰ صُبْحِيِّ فَلَاحَةٍ, romanized: Ṭāhā Ṣobḥī Falāḥa; 1977 – 30 August 2016), known by his nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Adnani al-Shami (Arabic: أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ ٱلْعَدْنَانِيُّ ٱلشَّامِيُّ, romanized: ʾAbū Muḥammad al-ʿAdnānī aš-Šāmī), 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.
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani | |
|---|---|
أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ ٱلْعَدْنَانِيُّ | |
Photo featured in IS propaganda, also used by U.S. State Department, January 2012. | |
| Born | Taha Sobhi Falaha 1977 Binnish, Idlib Governorate, Syria |
| Died | 30 August 2016 (aged 38–39) Near al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, Syria |
| 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 |
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.