The Islamic State terror group on Wednesday confirmed that its minister of war has been killed, reported The Guardian. This comes months after the Pentagon and British security agencies had announced that Tarkhan Batirashvili – also known as Omar al-Shishani and Omar, the Chechen – was killed in an airstrike conducted by the United States in Syria in March.

The terror group's propaganda agency Amaq said he died in combat in Shirqat, south of Mosul, in Iraq. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Shishani succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the airstrike months ago, and that he died in the countryside east of Raqqa.

Batirashvil was one of the top ranking leaders in the terror outfit. The United States had announced a reward of $5 million for information regarding his whereabouts. The Pentagon said it was aware of Wednesday's announcement but refrained from confirming or denying it.