Pentagon confirms Islamic State leader was killed in air strike

The Pentagon confirmed on Monday that Islamic State leader Abu Muhammad al Adnani was killed in a US air strike on August 30 in Syria.

The United States had said on August 30 that Adnani had been targeted in a strike, but it stopped short of confirming his death. Russia's Defense Ministry said on August 31 that a Russian air strike had killed Adnani.



Meanwhile, a ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States took effect in Syria at sundown on Monday, but there was deep skepticism over whether it would take hold.

The deal, announced on Friday after marathon talks between Russia and the United States, has been billed as the best chance yet to halt the bloodshed in Syria’s five-year civil war.

The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin unprecedented joint targeting of militant forces.



World powers have thrown their weight behind this new deal after several rounds of peace efforts failed to end the conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people.