IS leader, aides, escape western Mosul with millions of dollars in possession

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Four Islamic State members, including a leader, escaped from western Mosul to an unknown destination, with millions of US dollars in their possession, a local source from Nineveh province said.

“IS leader in charge of the Diwan Bayt al-mal (treasury) in Tal Afar town (55 KM west of Nineveh province) called Abu Baraa al-Qahtani, disappeared along with three of his aides with millions of US dollars in their possession,” the source told AlSumaria News on Saturday. The sum was allocated for paying wages of the members in Nineveh.

“Intelligence information showed that confusion occurred among militants in Tal Afar after disappearance of the leader, who is in charge of distributing the money among the members in all regions in Nineveh,” the source, who preferred anonymity, said. “The stolen money are estimated at millions of dollars. His disappearance means losing the biggest source of funding of the group in Iraq.”

On Friday, Federal Police chief Shaker Jawdat said the troops killed Abu Ali al-Basrawi, the group’s so-designated “legal official” for Mosul, Abu Youssef al-Masri, the so-called “sustenance official” and the latter’s aide, Radwan al-Maslawi.

Iraqi generals recently said they became in control over nearly 90 percent of the western region and expected to be fully liberated this month