SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced on Saturday the killing of the “second largest person” within Islamic State (ISIS) militant group.
Kadhimi spoke at the international scientific conference of the counter-terrorism service in Baghdad, according to his office.
“We have killed the second largest person in the ISIS terrorist organization, among dozens of senior leaders and hundreds of members of this organization,” the prime minister said, without providing more details.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
Kadhimi further said Iraq had helped the world get rid of terrorism, noting that Iraqis should be proud that they fought terrorism on behalf of the world.
He added that all security forces including the army, Peshmerga, national security agency, intelligence agency and Hashid al-Shaabi had contributed to the victory over ISIS.
The Iraqi prime minister also said the country achieved” great victories during the past months and ended the existence of the so-called Tigris State” during an operation carried out by the Iraqi counter-terrorism forces.
“We are working to pursue networks of financing and support for terrorist organizations through international and regional cooperation to dry up sources of terrorist financing,” he noted.
