US-led coalition forces said they have killed Turki al-Bin’ali, the Islamic State' self-proclaimed “Grand Mufti” or chief cleric, in an air strike in Syria on May 31. Bin’ali was one of Islamic State's most visible preachers and appeared regularly in its propaganda videos. He was placed under U.S. sanctions for helping Islamic State recruit foreign fighters, according to the U.S. Treasury according to Reuters.
In a statement released on Tuesday, CENTCOM said that Al-Bin’ali had a central role in recruiting foreign terrorist fighters and provoking terrorist attacks around the world. As chief cleric to ISIS since 2014, he provided propaganda to incite murder and other atrocities, attempted to legitimize the creation of the “caliphate,” and was a close confidant of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Full CENTCOM statement:
Coalition forces killed Turki-al-Bin’ ali
Coalition forces killed Turki al-Bin’ali, the self-proclaimed “Grand Mufti,” or chief cleric, of ISIS, in an airstrike May 31 in Mayadin, Syria.
Al-Bin’ali had a central role in recruiting foreign terrorist fighters and provoking terrorist attacks around the world. As chief cleric to ISIS since 2014, he provided propaganda to incite murder and other atrocities, attempted to legitimize the creation of the “caliphate,” and was a close confidant of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Leveraging his self-proclaimed religious role, his propaganda writings included the call for terrorists to pledge allegiance to al-Baghdadi as “caliph.” His recruiting efforts for the terror group also included multiple recorded lectures attempting to justify and encouraging the slaughter of innocents.
More information about Al-Bin’ali can be found at:
• https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Page...• https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summari...
With ISIS largely scattered, and on the defense across most areas in Syria and Iraq, it is unclear if Bin'ali had a prominent role in recent months, although his termination will likely lead to further demoralization among ISIS troops, and an even faster defeat of the terrorist state. A question then emerges: once ISIS is defeated and "terrorism" is no longer a concern, what pretext will coalition forces use to continue their ongoing militarized "presence" in Syria and the region?