WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The Islamic State's No. 2 leader, Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, was killed earlier this week by a U.S. airstrike in Iraq, the White House said.
U.S. officials describe al-Hayali as being second in command to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the BBC reported. Officials believe al-Hayali was responsible for financial operations for IS, which is also identified as Daesh and by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL.
"Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, also known as Hajji Mutazz, the second in command of the terrorist group ISIL, was killed in a U.S. military air strike on Aug. 18 while traveling in a vehicle near Mosul, Iraq, along with an ISIL media operative known as Abu Abdullah," U.S. National Security Council Ned Price spokesman said. "Al-Hayali was an ISIL Shura Council member and, as the senior deputy to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was a primary coordinator for moving large amounts of weapons, explosives, vehicles, and people between Iraq and Syria.
"Al-Hayali's death will adversely impact ISIL's operations given that his influence spanned ISIL's finance, media, operations, and logistics," Price said.
A news release from the Department of Defense says an airstrike hit an IS tactical unit and destroyed al-Hayali's vehicle.
"Coalition airstrikes in and around Bayji and Ramadi [in Iraq] are consistently putting pressure on the leadership of Daesh," said Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea, chief of staff of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. "We are constantly restricting their freedom of maneuver and disrupting their ability to successfully counterattack."
One U.S. official told CNN the strike was based on "actionable intelligence," meaning the military was aware of Mutazz's likely presence in the vicinity.
