The U.S.-led coalition has killed 18 Islamic State leaders in Iraq and Syria over the past 30 days, including 13 leaders in and around Mosul.

Col. John Dorrian, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said the focus on eliminating Islamic State leadership is an effort to “shape the battlefield” by eliminating key enemy leaders, thereby disrupting and degrading their intelligence, military operations, communication and finance networks.