An airstrike has killed a senior ISIS leader who, as the group's minister of information, produced some of its gruesome execution videos, the Pentagon has announced today. An American official described Dr. Wa'il as one of ISIS' top leaders who had special access to ISIS' senior leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.Rico says couldn't happen to a nicer guy... (And, no, not that Peter Cook...)
The confirmed death of Dr. Wa'il is the second strike in the last two weeks targeting a senior ISIS leader involved in ISIS' media operation.
"On 7 September 2016, coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Raqqah, Syria, that targeted and killed Dr. Wa'il, also known as Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, one of ISIL's most senior leaders," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.
"He operated as the minister of information for the terror organization and was a prominent member of its Senior Shura Council -- ISIL's leadership group," he added. ISIS is also known as ISIL.
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"Wa'il oversaw ISIL's production of terrorist propaganda videos showing torture and executions," Cook said, and was "a close associate of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani."
Al-Adnani was known as ISIS' top spokesman, responsible for the plotting of the group's overseas terror attacks, such as last November's attacks in Paris, France and the airport attacks in Brussels, Belgium and Ankara, Turkey.
An American official described Wa'il as outranking al-Adnani as one of ISIS' senior leaders, possibly number three in its hierarchy, who had special access to the group's top leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Al-Adnani was targeted by an airstrike on 30 August 2016 as he rode in a vehicle near the Syrian town of al-Bab.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon confirmed its initial assessment that al-Adnani had been killed in the airstrike.
An American official said it has been confirmed that Wa'il was killed in the airstrike, which another official said was carried out by a drone targeting his home in Raqqah, ISIS' de facto capital in Syria.
"The removal of ISIL's senior leaders degrades its ability to retain territory, and its ability to plan, finance, and direct attacks inside and outside of the region," Cook said. "We will continue to work with our coalition partners to build momentum in the campaign to deal ISIL a lasting defeat."
One American official said it was unclear if Wa'il outranked al-Adnani in ISIS' hierarchy.
17 September 2016
Pentagon says airstrike kills ISIS Minister responsible for some execution videos
Rico's friend Kelley, also an Islamo-phobe, forwards this article:
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