A handful of Americans have died fighting in ISIS over the past two years and this seems to be the highest-ranking one, although it was unclear whether he was a US citizen or a resident who may have come with his family when he was a teenager. His death may have occurred after recent US airstrikes.
ISIS commander who claims to have lived in the U.S. has been killed, according to jihadis in the Middle East. Abu Muhammad Al-Amriki, who gained notoriety last February when he appeared in a video blasting al-Qaeda's Syria branch, Jabhat al-Nusra, was a high-ranking figure within ISIS. While reports of his death have circulated before, the latest claim is considered "far more reliable" because it originated from jihadis "familiar with ISIS activities in Syria and Iraq" themselves, global security firm and NBC News counterterrorism consultant Flashpoint Intelligence said. NBC News could not independently verify the reports.
The latest report did not indicate how or when Al-Amriki may have died. Counterterrorism experts believed he might have migrated to the U.S. at an older age and spent some time there before joining the terror group and moving up its ranks. He appeared in a video in February wearing combat gear and holding what appeared to be a rifle. He spoke about his time in the U.S., however it was unclear whether he was a U.S. citizen.
It was not immediately clear when or where he died.
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FBI Director James Comey told CBS's "60 Minutes" that "a dozen or so" Americans are fighting with terrorists in Syria; "yes," he knows who they are; and they are "entitled to come back" unless their passport is revoked; and if they do come back, they will be tracked.
Attorney General Eric Holder estimated this summer that there are 7,000 foreign fighters in the war-ravaged Middle Eastern nation. More than 100 Americans are among those who have tried to join various militant groups in Syria, U.S. officials say. While some are aligned with ISIS, the fighters shift allegiance and it's difficult to pin down a specific number, officials say.