Death of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani 'biggest blow' ever to Islamic State

The death of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani is one of the biggest blows to self-styled Islamic State (ISIS) since its birth.

Although he was usually described as a 'spokesman' for the group, he was much more than a PR man.

He was the voice and the brains behind so much of the terror.

He is best known for the way he used social media to orchestrate it's propaganda campaigns - but his greatest impact was as the intelligence chief who led the group's 'external operations'.

He almost certainly orchestrated the attacks in Paris last year and the slaughter in Brussels earlier this year.

He ordered followers to make Ramadan "a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers". And many did.

Listen to many ISIS attackers speak, and you'll hear that al-Adnani's speeches have provided the template.

Will his death dent the ambitions of ISIS in the West or the Middle East? Perhaps not very much.

But the group has lost its voice - and very few of its founding fathers remain.