Senior IS leader killed in confrontations with paramilitary troops in Hawija
Iraqi forces during clashes with ISIS in Ramadi, Anbar. File photo.
“Abu Bilal al-Masri, a prominent Arab IS leader was killed in clashes with al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Forces] in Hawija, southwestern Kirkuk, as the militant was at the group’s defense lines,” the source told AlSumaria News on Monday.
“Al-Masri used to be nicknamed as Hummer, thanks to being good at using RPGs and targeting the Hummer vehicles. He was one of the main Arab leaders in the group’s so-called Kirkuk State,” the source, who preferred anonymity, added.
Several Arab and foreign IS leaders are deployed in Hawija, which is one of the group’s pivotal strongholds. Hawija and other neighboring regions, west of Kirkuk, have been held by IS since mid-2014, when the group emerged to proclaim an Islamic “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria.
Earlier on the day, Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of the Hawija Operations, announced launching wide-scale military operations to free al-Rashad region, as part of the second phase of operations to liberate Hawija.
The Iraqi joint troops announced on Sunday retaking 28 villages as part of operations to clear Hawija.
On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and the Joint Operations Command announced beginning of the second phase of Hawija offensive.
According to Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, 557 IS militants were killed, while more than 100 villages and regions were liberated during the first phase, which launched on September 24th.