U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter on Friday 25th March 2016 said a top Islamic State commander is believed to have been killed in air raid in Syria.
Carter said Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, described as the second in command is believed to have been killed on Thursday as reported by various U.S. media.
Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Carter did not elaborate the details of the raid but only said it was consistent with U.S. strategy aimed at putting pressure on Islamic State leadership.
Carter described ISIS number two as well known member of the Islamic State. Carter stressed the importance of eliminating top ISIS leadership saying the leaders have been around for a long time thus they are senior and experienced.
Separately, Syrian soldiers have recaptured the city of Palmyra after engage the Islamic State in a fierce fight.
The strategic city of Palmyra has been under the control of the militant group since 2015. The militant had killed the local antiquities chief and blown up many historically significant sites in the area.
Earlier in March 2016, U.S. airstrike killed another top commander, Omar al-Shishani – also known as "Omar the Chechen".
