(Los Angeles Times) W.J. Hennigan - French-born Rachid Kassim, 29, a former rapper, once beheaded a man in an online video and played a role in a string of terrorist plots in France last year. On Feb. 8, a drone-launched missile destroyed his truck as he drove through the Iraqi city of Mosul. The strike was part of a U.S.-led effort that seeks to silence Islamic State operatives who use social media and encrypted messaging to reach disaffected Muslims overseas. On Aug. 30, a drone strike killed Abu Muhammad Adnani, head of ISIS external terrorism plots. Eight days later, Abu Mohamed Furqan, who oversaw production of propaganda videos and created the monthly online magazine Rumiyah, was killed by a drone strike in Raqqa, Syria.
2017-05-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive