White House confirms drone strike killed ISIS second-in-command

Jeva Lange's avatar
By
published
A drone takes off from a U.S. air base.
(Image credit: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images)

Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, a top deputy to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, was killed in an Aug. 18 drone strike in Iraq near Mosul, the White House confirmed Friday. Hayali was the primary coordinator helping to move weapons, explosives, vehicles, and people between ISIS's strongholds in Iraq and Syria. "Hayali's death will adversely impact ISIS's operations given that his influence spanned ISIS's finance, media, operations, and logistics," National Security Council Spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.