Decapitation

U.S. Military Says it has Killed more than 120 Islamic State Leaders

The leadership attacks have picked up recently due to intelligence collected by special operations teams on night raids, from captured militants, and from intercepted of email, cellphone and other communications.

The focus on Islamic State's command and control structure, including its recruitment and funding systems, has helped weaken the Sunni extremist group as Iraqi, Syrian and Kurdish forces press the militants on the battlefield.

The targeted killings are so well known that militants have built "counter-drone screens" of cardboard and plywood to hide leaders and fighters in parts of Raqqa, the group's declared capital in Syria. They also have belittled the attacks as insignificant.

"America, do you think that victory comes by killing a commander or more?" a spokesman, Abu Mohammed Adnani, said in a recorded message released May 21. "We will not be deterred by your campaigns and you will not be victorious."

U.S. commanders tend to agree that killing Islamic State's leaders one by one won't end the war any more than killing Osama bin Laden in 2011 ended the terrorist threat from al-Qaida.