Iraq claims to kill aide to Daesh leader

By Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD (AA) – The Iraqi army said Friday that an aide to Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed in an airstrike in western Iraq.

In a televised statement, the army said the airstrike targeted a meeting of Daesh leaders in al-Qaim district in the Anbar province near Syrian border.

“Scores of terrorists were killed and others injured in the attack,” the statement said, adding that an aide to al-Baghdadi was killed in the airstrike.

According to the statement, foreign fighters from Russia, Chechnya and Caucasus were among those killed in the attack. Anadolu Agency could not independently verify the claim.

In 2014, Daesh militants overran Mosul and vast territory in northern and western Iraq. Iraqi government forces, backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, have since managed to recapture most of the territory.