Raqqa (BasNews) The Islamic State (IS) Grand Mufti Turki al-Binali, one of the senior IS leaders, was killed in an air strike of the International Coalition in the Syrian city of Raqqa in the past 48 hours, according to reports released on Thursday.IS extremist group confirmed his death and began distributing his biography and obituary. Many considered Binali a natural successor of the IS leader Abu Bakir al-Baghdadi.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report that “it is not yet known” whether the targeted IS member is Binali or another leader of the jihadist group since the body was transferred to a hospital in Raqqa, the IS stronghold in Syria.
Binali, 34, was originally from Bahrain and he moved to Libya in 2013 where he pledged alliance to IS and he also invited people to join the jihadist group. Later, he moved to Raqqa, the IS de facto capital in northern Syria where he was appointed as the IS Grand Mufti.