In an official report, the White House announced Friday that a high-ranking member of ISIS was killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this week, according to The Huffington Post. This has dealt a significant blow to ISIS.
Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali was the number two leader of ISIS, making him the deputy leader of the terrorist group. He was in a vehicle traveling near Mosul, Iraq on Tuesday when he was killed by U.S. forces. Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali was responsible for moving a large amount of weapons, vehicles, personnel and explosives between Iraq and Syria, The Huffington Post reported.
Another ISIS operative, Abu Abdullah, was also killed in the strike, according to The New York Times. ISIS has been engaged in several recent conflicts in the Middle East, notably along the Syrian border. The US has been training Syrian forces in the region who want to battle against ISIS.
Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali was also known as Hajji Mutazz, according to CBC. White House spokesperson Ned Price delivered the official statement to announce his death. Reports from a Kurdish news agency say that Mutazz was Turkish, born near northern Iraq. Before joining ISIS, he was a commander under deceased dictator Saddam Hussein.
