Iraq: ISIS Spokesman Injured

The Iraqi army states that Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the spokesman for the group known as the Islamic State (ISIS), has been injured following an airstrike in Anbar province. In a statement on January 7, the Iraqi army said, 'There are confirmed reports that the terrorist known as Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the spokesman for ISIS, was injured during an airstrike in the Barwana area.' According to this report, Adnani has 'lost a lot of blood' and has been transferred to Mosul. Mosul is the central base of the group known as the Islamic State in the occupied areas of Iraq. Reuters, citing reports from the U.S.-led coalition, states that 'more than 100' members of the 'Islamic State' were killed during airstrikes this week in Barwana and its surroundings. The coalition's airstrikes are intended to support the advance of Iraqi military forces in ground battles against ISIS. The U.S.-led coalition stated on January 6 that extremists of the 'Islamic State' have lost up to 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and are now in a 'defensive posture.' According to a report by the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, Adnani is from Idlib in Syria and had previously been imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq. Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has been the head of the propaganda apparatus of ISIS since 2014. The group has been extensively active on social media and has utilized advanced technologies to produce messages, videos, and even publications during the years it has managed to seize parts of Syria and Iraq. Reuters, quoting William McCants, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, states that if the news about Adnani is accurate, it would be a severe blow to the group, and if he is unable to operate, it means that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (the self-proclaimed caliph of ISIS) has lost an important advisor.