Free Republic

The Islamic State’s finance minister, Haj Imam, was killed during an operation, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced Friday. Also confirmed by the Pentagon was the killing earlier of another top Islamist leader, Omar al-Shishani – known as Omar the Chechen – in an air strike. Carter said that the US is “systematically eliminating” the ISIS cabinet. Haj Iman, whose real name was Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Mustafa al-Qaduly, was widely reported to be the second in command of ISIS chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi

(CNN) — The Pentagon said Friday that it had killed ISIS' finance minister, Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, whom many analysts consider the group's No. 2 leader. Those analysts believe al-Qaduli would have been expected to take control of the day-to-day running of ISIS, also called ISIL, if its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed or incapacitated. The U.S. operation was intended to capture him alive, a U.S. official told CNN. Helicopters loaded with special operations forces swooped in on a vehicle carrying al-Qaduli, but at the last moment something happened that caused them to decide to fire on the vehicle...

WASHINGTON — The United States killed a top Islamic State commander in Syria who was believed to be in line to lead the terrorist group, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said on Friday. The killing of a top commander, Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, who is also known by other names, comes as the United States is having increased success targeting the Islamic State’s leadership. Last week, Defense Department officials concluded that American strikes had killed the group’s minister of war, Omar al-Shishani. “We are systematically eliminating ISIL’s cabinet,” Mr. Carter said at a news conference, using an acronym for the...