Special to WorldTribune.com
An Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) jihadist who boasted on social media of his prowess in recruiting British fighters and jihadi brides was reportedly killed in a drone strike in Syria.
Raphael Hostey, also known as Abu Qaqa al-Britani, who left Manchester to join ISIL in 2013, was heavily involved in ISIL propaganda and is believed to have been instrumental in attracting Britons to Syria.
Shiraz Maher, a war studies lecturer from King’s College London, said the death of the 23-year-old Hostey was “huge,” adding that he was the last survivor of a key group of ISIL jihadists from Manchester and Portsmouth who were responsible for the flow of Britons to the terror organization.
Hostey had boasted on social media of smuggling “hundreds” of people into Syria, posted several tweets inciting and glorifying acts of violence and beheadings and cheered the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris in January 2015 which killed 12 people.
At least 700 people from the UK have traveled to support or fight for jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, according to police. Around half have since returned and are being monitored by intelligence services.