Media: Senior ISIS leader killed in drone strike on Iraq-Syria border

A senior leader of the ISIS terrorist organisation and one of his aides were killed in a drone strike near the Syrian border, a security source in Iraq’s Anbar province announced.

According to the source, who spoke to Al-Ma’luma News Agency, an unidentified drone targeted the vehicle carrying the militant leader as it crossed into Syria from western Anbar. Both the senior ISIS figure and his assistant were killed in the strike. The source did not disclose his identity due to security reasons, Caliber.Az reports, citing ISNA.

The individual targeted was one of the most important leaders of ISIS  and was wanted by the Iraqi judiciary for involvement in killings and attacks on security sites, the source said.

The source added that the slain militant was a first-generation leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation and had played a key role in orchestrating ISIS operations in both Iraq and Syria.

The source suggested that the strike may indicate growing tensions within extremist groups operating in Syria, stating that "the killing of the most prominent leaders of this terrorist organisation is a sign of the intensification of differences between terrorist groups in Syria."

By Sabina Mammadli