A leader of the Islamic State group blew himself up in southern Syria after being surrounded by government forces, state media reported on Wednesday, citing a security source.

The official SANA news agency said security forces carried out a “special operation” in the Daraa area that led to the death of “the terrorist Abu Salem al-Iraqi.”

Iraqi “triggered his explosive belt after being surrounded and wounded,” the agency said.

The security source said Iraqi had been the military chief of the extremist group in the country’s south.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, which has a vast network of sources on the ground, said Iraqi died on Tuesday.

It said he had been hiding out in the area since 2018, and had taken part in killings and attacks there.