Intelligence sources: Daesh's second in command killed in airstrike in Western Iraq

Sputnik
Sat, 01 Apr 2017 21:12 UTC

© REUTERS/ Youssef Boudlal

Smoke rises from the old city during a battle against Islamic State militants, in Mosul, Iraq, March 29, 2017

The second in command of the Daesh terrorist group, outlawed in many countries, including Russia, was killed in an airstrike in western Iraq, state-run media reported Saturday, citing intelligence sources.

"Based on the data obtained from the intelligence, the armed forces' aircraft conducted a strike on the headquarters of the Daesh military command located in the town of Al-Qa'im and destroyed the second Daesh leader after terrorist Abu Bakr Baghdadi — terrorist Iyad Hamid Jumaili, known as Abu Yahya, Daesh war minister," Iraqi Media Network cited the sources.

The Iraqi intelligence provided no details concerning the date of the airstrike on western Anbar province, though it noted that two more Daesh group leaders were killed in the airstrike. One of the eliminated terrorists was reportedly of Turkish origin.

The Daesh group has not confirmed yet the death of its chiefs.

On Wednesday, Iraq's security forces eliminated an Daesh "health minister" in Mosul during the ongoing operation to liberate the city from extremists.

In 2014, the Daesh terrorists launched a full-scale offensive against Iraq, seizing a number of cities and towns including the second biggest Iraqi city of Mosul.

The Iraqi operation to recapture Mosul, the key stronghold of the Daesh in the country, began in October 2016 and resulted in the liberation of Mosul's eastern part this January. Fighting continues in the city's west.

Comment: The operation to liberate the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group (ISIL or Daesh, outlawed in Russia) will be completed by the end of spring, Brig. Gen. Shaker Alwan Khafaji, one of the Iraqi Federal Police heads, told Sputnik on Saturday.

"The IS currently controls 25-30 percent of western Mosul's territory. We continue to liberate new districts... Mosul's liberation will take weeks. This spring you will hear the news [of Mosul's liberation]," Khafaji said.