Iraqi warplanes kill Islamic State’s second-in-command in Syria

Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – A senior Islamic State (IS) leader was killed on Monday after Iraqi warplanes targeted a gathering of the terrorist group in Syria, an intelligence source was quoted as saying.

Speaking to Shafaq News, the source said, “Iraqi air forces launched an air strike targeting a group of IS militants, who were gathering at a building inside the Syrian territories, managing to kill a notorious IS leader, identified as Abu Luqman al-Suri.”

Al-Suri, who is believed to be deputy of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was “in charge of recruiting suicide attackers and dispatching them to Iraq to carry out terrorist attacks there.”

On Sunday, Spokesman for the Iraqi Security Media Council Brig. Gen. Yehia Rasool said at least 36 IS militants were killed after Iraqi warplanes targeted their terrorist hotbed located in Syria.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence earlier in November with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

Last December, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over Islamic State three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq’s territory.

Abadi’s announcement came two days after Russia announced a similar victory over Islamic State militants in neighboring Syria. Abadi declared Dec. 10 an annual national holiday on this occasion.