US military kills Islamic State leader in Syria airstrike

The US military killed a leader of the Islamic State on Tuesday in an airstrike in Syria, Joe Biden said.

Maher al-Agal, identified by the Pentagon as one of the top five Islamic State leaders and the leader of the Islamic State in Syria, was killed in a drone strike in Jindayris in north-west Syria.

US Central Command said in a news release that an unidentified senior official in the Islamic State was also seriously injured in the strike that killed Agal.

The Islamic State at the height of its power controlled more than 40,000 sq miles stretching from Syria to Iraq and ruled over 8 million people.

The strike on Agal comes months after the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, killed himself during a raid of his hideout by American special forces.

The Pentagon said Qurayshi blew himself up along with members of his family.