US Airstrike Kills ISIS Leader in Iraq

Airstrike comes after Baghdad twin suicide bombing that killed dozens

A US airstrike in Iraq killed a senior ISIS leader on Wednesday, the US-led anti-ISIS coalition announced on Friday. The operation came about a week after a major twin suicide bombing hit Baghdad that killed 32 people and was claimed by ISIS.

The US airstrike hit near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk and killed Jabbar Salman Ali Farhan al-Issawi, known as Abu Yasser. According to a coalition spokesman, the operation included raids on houses in the area and killed 10 ISIS fighters in total.

Iraqi officials described al-Issawi as the second in command of ISIS or the “deputy caliph.” US officials said the operation was months in the making and that the coalition had been raiding ISIS hideouts in the region looking for leaders of the group.

While ISIS doesn’t control any territory in Iraq and Syria these days, operations against ISIS in desert and mountain hideouts are still frequent. Col. Wayne Marotto, the US spokesman for the anti-ISIS coalition, said so far in 2021, there has been 82 coalition operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.