WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2016 — Defense Department officials have confirmed that a U.S. precision airstrike Aug. 30 targeting senior Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani was successful, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said today.

In a statement, Cook said the strike near Al Bab, Syria, removes from the battlefield ISIL's chief propagandist, recruiter and architect of external terrorist operations.

Effort Will Continue

“It is one in a series of successful strikes against ISIL leaders, including those responsible for finances and military planning, that make it harder for the group to operate,” he said. “As we continue to gather momentum in our counter-ISIL campaign, we will continue to target ISIL leaders, relentlessly pursue its external plotters, and, working with our partners on the ground, we will not rest in our efforts to destroy ISIL's parent tumor in Iraq and Syria, combat its metastases around the world, and protect our homeland.”