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U.S.-led coalition airstrikes kill top ISIS cleric

U.S.-led coalition forces killed Turki al-Bin'ali, a top cleric of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in an airstrike last month, the coalition said Tuesday.

The coalition said in a statement that the cleric and self-proclaimed "Grand Mufti" was killed in an airstrike on May 31 in Mayadeen, Syria.

Al-Bin'ali played a prolific role in recruiting terrorist fighters and inciting terror attacks around the world, U.S. officials said. He has acted as the chief cleric of ISIS since 2014 and was a close confidant to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the statement said.

"His recruiting efforts for the terror group also included multiple recorded lectures attempting to justify and encouraging the slaughter of innocents," the statement said.

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