U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (L), together with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, speaks to press during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 25, 2016. The Pentagon announced on Friday a senior Islamic State (IS) commander in Syria believed to be in line to lead the extremist group had been killed by the United States.(Xinhua/Yin Bogu/IANS)
The Pentagon announced on Friday a senior Islamic State commander in Syria believed to be in line to lead the extremist group had been killed by the US.
Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Haji Imam or al-Afri, served as IS’s finance minister, and was killed this week by US military, US defence chief Ash Carter said here at a Pentagon briefing.
“We’ve taken out the leader who oversees the funding for ISIL’s operations, hurting their ability to pay fighters and hire recruits,” said Carter, adding that the US-led coalition was “systematically eliminating” IS’s cabinet.
Carter refused to offer details about the operation against al- Afri, whom many analysts consider the extremist group’s second-in- command.
Meanwhile, Carter acknowledged that striking IS leadership was far from sufficient, noting that “leaders can be replaced.”