The U.S. military has killed the second in command of the Islamic State, Fadhil Ahmad Al-Hayali, in an airstrike, the White House announced Friday.
Al-Hayali, along with a media operative for the Islamic State known as Abu Abdullah, were killed Tuesday while traveling in a vehicle near Mosul, Iraq.
There were no reports of civilian casualties in the strike.
Al-Hayali, an Iraqi national, was likely a close associate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, said Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. He was the primarily coordinator moving explosives, fighters, weapons and vehicles between Iraq and Syria and played a large role in finance and media for the terrorist group as well.
Al-Hayali was previously detained by the U.S. in 2005 in Iraq for his involvement with Al Qaeda and was later released to the government of Iraq, Davis said. He was instrumental in planning operations over the last past two years, including the extremist group’s offensive in Mosul in June of last year.
“Al Hayali’s death will adversely impact ISIS’s operation given that his influence spanned [the group’s] finance, media, operations and logistics,” the White House said in a statement. “The United States and its coalition of partners are determined to degrade and destroy this terrorist group, which has wrought so much harm and suffering on the people of the region and beyond.”
The announcement comes the same day CNN released a new poll showing that the president’s handling of the Islamic State and the U.S. relationship with Iran has led to a dip in his approval ratings.
The new poll released Friday pins the president’s disapproval rating at 51 percent and those approving the way he’s handling the job at 47 percent.
That’s a change since late July when 49 percent approved and 47 percent disapproved. When it comes to the economy and foreign affairs, the numbers are slightly worse for Obama, with 52 percent opposing his policies.
Obama gets the worst marks for his handling of the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, with 62 percent disapproving. And nearly as many say they disapprove of his handling of the relationship with Iran, a significant finding in the lead up to the congressional vote on the administration’s nuclear deal with Tehran.
