Key Islamic State leader killed in Syria's Aleppo

Damascus: The Islamic State (IS) militant group's chief spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has been killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, IS-affiliated media said.

Adnani was one of the longest-serving and most prominent leaders of the IS, BBC on Wednesday cited the Amaq News Agency as saying.

According to the Pentagon, it had targeted Adnani in a precision strike near the town of al-Bab and was still assessing the results.

Adnani was known for his calls for lone-wolf attacks in the West.

He was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo", Amaq said.

"We are still assessing the results, but Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to the IS," the Pentagon said.

Fighting has escalated in Aleppo in recent weeks, with rebels breaking a siege by government forces and Syrian and Russian warplanes carrying out air strikes on rebel-held areas.