Iraqi police today claimed that Abu Taluut, the ISIS governor for Mosul, was killed in a US airstrike in the village of Qayyara south of the city of Mosul, ISIS’ largest city.
The US hasn’t addressed the reported killing, nor has ISIS. Reports of people killed in US strikes against ISIS territory are often difficult to confirm, and sometimes “confirmed” killings reemerge unharmed.
Still, this would be significant, if it turns out to be real, and it is the second Mosul governor the US has said to have killed in a little over a month. The previous one was killed in a strike on his car inside Mosul.
ISIS’ leadership structure is not well understood, so while people may nominally be appointed “governors” or other positions, it isn’t clear how much authority they may actually have, or how big of a blow the death of one, or indeed two, would be to ISIS.
Rank has it’s privileges — Why our generals do so love their combat ribbons
So, this is progress? Not hardly, for another big boost in gusto camaraderie have we given all the troops in the Islamic State, for now greatly enhanced is their chance to also be martyred as a most glorified war-time General.
Surely, so best for us if we go back to the normal ways of war, like it was during my days in the Vietnam war, when what aggravated my buddies and I the most was the fact that in all the body bags that got filled, not could be found a single CO, namely the mutilated body of an Officer duly Commissioned.