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

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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.

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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.