Coalition kills Islamic State leader, continues progress in Iraq, Syria

The coalition and its partners in Syria and Iraq are continuing to make progress in defeating Islamic State, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said today.

A coalition strike on May the 26th in the Middle Euphrates River Valley killed Islamic State leader Abu Khattab al-Iraqi, who oversaw revenue generation for the terrorist organisation through the illicit sale of oil and gas, Army Col. Sean Ryan told Pentagon reporters.

“The death of al-Iraqi degrades ISIS’s ability to finance operations in Syria and Iraq and further dismantles their long-term access to reliable funding,” he said.

Despite a significant reduction in operations during Ramadan, the Iraqis continued to identify, locate and destroy ISIS remnants throughout the country, Ryan said.

The progress includes the seizure by Iraqi forces of a large cache of weapons and explosives and the capture of a number of suspected terrorists during a raid in a village in Ninevah, the colonel said.

Additionally, Iraqi forces continue to complete vital training programs, he said. He noted coalition-led training sites throughout Iraq saw more than 8,000 trainees during Ramadan, with the sites operating at more than 100 percent capacity.

“This clearly demonstrates their commitment to providing security and stability for the country,” Ryan said.

The colonel highlighted the graduation of more than 400 trainees from the counterterrorism service basic training course near Baghdad, as well as 20 sharpshooters who are recent graduates of a SWAT-designated marksman course in Mosul.