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ISIS Butcher 'Jihadi John' Killed in US Airstrike?

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"Jihadi John," also known as Mohammed Emwazi,  has been one of the leading symbols of the bloodthirsty terrorists of ISIS. Now, it appears the killer has been killed.

Pentagon officials say they targeted the terrorist in the ISIS-declared capital of Raqqa, Syria. Still, U.S. officials could not confirm his death early Friday.

"We are assessing the results of tonight's operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

CBN News Terrorism Analyst Erick Stakelbeck shares with CBN News what Jihadi John's death means for the strategy against ISIS.

The news comes as Islamic State appears to have suffered another major defeat.

Iraqi Kurdish fighters, known as Peshmerga, celebrated as they entered the strategic town of Sinjar, last captured by ISIS on a major rampage in 2014.
 
The militia raised the Kurdish flag Friday morning amidst celebratory gunfire.

"ISIL defeated and on the run," Kurdistan's Regional Security Council tweeted, Reuters reported.

CBN News' Chuck Holton was recently on the ground in Sinjar.

"The city of Sinjar looks like Stalingrad," Holton reported. "There's probably not a square meter that's not bombed out or half destroyed."

ISIS operatives overran Sinjar as they rampaged across Iraq last year, driving thousands from their homes.

The U.S. has been backing the Peshmerga with airstrikes. This current offensive has become a key test for the Obama administration's strategy of using local ground forces combined with U.S. air power.

"This is strategically an important area in Iraq in terms of taking the fight to ISIL," Cook said.

The Peshmerga have also severed a critical ISIS supply line running between Iraq and Syria. For months, ISIS has used Highway 47 to move both supplies and fighters.

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About The Author

Heather
Sells

Heather Sells covers wide-ranging stories for CBN News that include religious liberty, ministry trends, immigration, and education. She’s known for telling personal stories that capture the issues of the day, from the border sheriff who rescues migrants in the desert to the parents struggling with a child that identifies as transgender. In the last year, she has reported on immigration at the Texas border, from Washington, D.C., in advance of the Dobbs abortion case, at crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts, and on sexual abuse reform at the annual Southern Baptist meeting in Anaheim