Islamic State commander 'Omar the Chechen' dead, US confirms

The most-wanted militant had been targeted in a March 4 attack on his convoy


Afp March 15, 2016
Senior Islamic State leader, Abu Omar al-Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen. PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON: A top Islamic State group commander known as "Omar the Chechen" is dead after suffering injuries in a US-led coalition strike in northeastern Syria, the Pentagon confirmed Monday.

The announcement would appear to clear up the fate of the notorious Omar al-Shishani, a week after a US official said the most-wanted militant had been targeted in a March 4 attack on the jihadist's convoy.

Islamic State commander 'Omar the Chechen' survived US strike: monitor

"We believe he subsequently died of his injuries," Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told AFP.

On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said Shishani had been "clinically dead" for several days.

Islamic State's 'minister of war' likely killed in US air strike: officials

Shishani -- the nom de guerre of Tarkhan Batirashvili -- was one of the IS leaders most wanted by Washington, which put a $5 million bounty on his head.

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