News / Iraq

Daesh 'grand mufti' slain in Iraqi army missile strikes

Friday, 14 April 2017 4:22 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 16 April 2017 7:02 AM ]

An Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) soldier walks next to military vehicles as they advance towards the al-Abar neighborhood of Mosul on April 12, 2017, during an offensive to retake the city from Takfiri Daesh terrorists. (Photo by AFP)

The highest so-called official of religious law of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has been killed in a missile attack carried out by the Iraqi Air Force military aircraft in Mosul as government forces, backed by allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units, are battling to retake the country’s second largest city from the extremists.

Commander of Federal Police Forces Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat said on Friday that Abdullah Younis al-Badrani, better known by the nom de guerre Abu Ayoub al-Attar, and two of his close aides were killed as security forces lobbed a barrage of missiles at a militant position in western Mosul.

Jawdat identified one of the slain aides as Abdulqader Mahmoud al-Hamdouni al-Saji, noting that he was a member of the so-called Daesh oversight council for militant bases.

The high-ranking Iraqi security official further noted that federal police forces had fired a number of missiles into Daesh General Security Directorate building, and destroyed it.

Iraqi forces also destroyed an anti-aircraft gun belonging to Daesh Takfiris as they struck militant-held al-Zanjili school in the western flank of Mosul.

An image by AFP depicts Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces' vehicle advancing toward the al-Abar neighborhood of Mosul on April 12, 2017.

The developments came a day after commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, announced that soldiers from the 9th Armored Division had reclaimed the village of Halila and established control over an entrance into western Mosul.

The media bureau of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) also stated on Wednesday that Iraqi government forces had retaken the villages of Shawitah, Tal al-Asfour and al-Sabouniyah from Daesh terrorists.

The statement added that Iraqi forces hoisted the national flag over several buildings in the liberated villages.

Meanwhile, members of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) could free Mosul’s western neighborhood of al-Abar after inflicting heavy losses on Daesh ranks and destroying their military hardware.

Iraqi army soldiers and pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi, have made sweeping gains against the Takfiri elements since launching the operation to retake Mosul last October.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19.

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