US: ’ISIL’ No.2 Killed in US Drone Strike in Iraq

Local Editor

The No. 2 figure in "ISIL", Haji Mutazz, was killed in an August 18 drone strike near Mosul, Iraq, a spokesman for the US National Security Council announced Friday.

White House spokesman Ned Price confirmed what several US officials said earlier, and added that Mutazz was traveling in a car with an "ISIL" media operative named Abu Abdullah when the vehicle was hit.

Price said in a written statement Mutazz was in charge of "ISIL" operations in Iraq and was a key military planner. The US also believes Mutazz was prominently involved in directing "ISIL's" financial operations.

The death of Mutazz, who also goes by several other names such as Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, is a bit of a mystery. Several news organizations reported his death at the end of last year, based on information from senior US administration officials.

However, one US official said it appears the United States had a wrong identification at that time.

"Al-Hayali's death will adversely impact "ISIL's" operations given that his influence spanned "ISIL's" finance, media, operations, and logistics," Price said.

Information about the drone strike this week is being very closely held by the government because of its sensitivity.

One US official said Mutazz was killed near Mosul, but the other officials declined to confirm that was the case.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team