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ISIL acknowledges death of Mohammed Emwazi

ISIL has acknowledged the death of Mohammed Emwazi, the masked militant who gained notoriety as ‘Jihadi John’. In a eulogising profile, the group’s Dubiq online magazine has confirmed reports that a Western drone strike on Ragga resulted in the death of Emwazi. The profile pays homage to Emwazi, referring to him as an ‘honourable brother’, known for his ‘mercy and generosity’, and celebrates his ‘harshness’ towards non-believers. The article reads: “His harshness towards the kuffar [non-believers] was manifested through deeds that enraged all the nations, religions, and factions of kuffar, the entire world bearing witness to this.” Emwazi appeared wearing mask in a number of ISIL videos depicting the executions of western hostages, including US journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. US officials had said they were ‘reasonably certain’ that Emwazi had been killed in a targeted drone strike carried out in November 2015, but this is the first time his death has been confirmed from ISIL sources.

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