ISIS spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist group's attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, the group announced Tuesday. He crossed the border and joined al-Qaeda in Iraq, a precursor to IS, after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. A video that appeared online in January 2015 quoted ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani and called on Muslims to slaughter civilians and soldiers in countries fighting ISIS, including Canada. In Iraq, the group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province. It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the country's second largest city.

Source: CBC News August 30, 2016 21:22 UTC