[4] Media reports in August 2016 suggested he was in charge of a special unit, known as the Emni, that was established by IS in 2014 with the double objective of internal policing and executing operations outside IS territory.

[7][14] According to a biography published by IS cleric Turki al-Binali after Adnani's death, he "grew up with the love of mosques ... [and] memorized the Quran as a young man.

"[15] According to a biography penned by Turki al-Binali, Adnani became involved in Islamic militancy in the year 2000 and he was later recruited by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2002.

[5] In May 2005 Al-Adnani was arrested by Coalition forces in Al Anbar Governorate in Iraq under a fake name "Yasser Khalaf Hussein Nazal al-Rawi", and was released in 2010 after serving time in Abu Ghraib prison.

"[14] Al-Adnani was highly respected by his fellow fighters throughout his time in the Iraqi insurgency, with ISI leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi saying about him, "It will be for this man the whole affair (of jihad)".

[18][19][20] On 4 January 2016, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani was reportedly injured by an Iraqi airstrike on Barwana, near Haditha, Iraq and was moved to Mosul for recovery.

"[47] Adnani's vitriolic speaking style established his reputation as the 'attack dog' of the Islamic State, especially for his denunciations of al-Qaeda and commands to commit terrorist attacks in Western countries.

On 22 September 2014, al-Adnani gave a lengthy speech entitled "Indeed, Your Lord Is Ever Watchful", which was significant because it was the first official instruction by the Islamic State for its supporters to kill non-Muslims in Western countries.

[52] An unnamed U.S. defense official said, "coalition forces conducted an airstrike in al-Bab, Syria, targeting an ISIL senior leader" and were still trying to confirm whether he was killed.

Many of his publications eventually served as textbooks for al-Qaeda and ISIS fighters in training camps, where he also used to teach the Arabic language and its grammar, as well as Islamic law.