Admin I November 16, 2016
Washington – A senior leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Leviant(ISIL), Abdul Basit has been killed by a U.S.-led coalition airstrike in Raqqa, Syria.
Air Force spokesman in Operation Inherent Resolve, Col. John Dorrian who made the In teleconference from Baghdad identified the terrorist as an Iraqi national who was in charge of ISIL’s Middle East external networks that included American, Turkish and European targets.
He was a key facilitator for ISIL’s external operations routes through Turkey and was responsible for attacks within the Middle East, the spokesman added.
“Along with these external attacks and plots, he has also been connected to convoy, reconnaissance and facilitation-extremist travel, finances and weapons in the region,” Dorrian said.
“His death degrades and delays ISIL’s current plots against regional targets and deprives them of a capable senior manager who provided oversight over many external attacks,” he said.
According to him, significant progress in the effort to counter ISIL is being made in Syria, where Syrian Democratic Forces are liberating previously held ISIL territory.
“In the past week, the coalition conducted more than 60 kinetic strikes against ISIL fighters, leaders and infrastructure to support the Syrian Democratic Forces’ operations to isolate Raqqa along two converging axes of advance,” he said.
