Iraqi counter-terrorism forces kill senior ISIS leader in Syria

By Ikram Kouachi

ANKARA (AA) – Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service said on Friday that its forces, in coordination with the US-led coalition, killed Omar Abdul Qader Bassam, also known as Abdulrahman Halabi, a top ISIS terror group commander accused of plotting attacks in Lebanon, Europe, and the US.

In a statement, the service reported “the success of a new qualitative operation that resulted in the death of terrorist Omar Abdul Qader Bassam, known as ‘Abdulrahman Halabi,’ one of the most prominent leaders of ISIS gangs,” according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The operation took place at dawn on Friday inside Syrian territory in coordination with the international coalition forces, it noted.

The service added that Halabi was responsible for external operations and security, including planning and overseeing the so-called “remote provinces.”

He was also directly involved in the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Lebanon and in attempted terrorist operations in Europe and the United States, which were thwarted through precise intelligence efforts, the government body said.

The agency noted that the strike represents a “major strategic loss for the terrorist gangs,” coming after a series of successful operations over the past two months that led to the killing of more than six senior ISIS leaders.