WASHINGTON –
A U.S.-led coalition airstrike May 6 targeted and killed Abu
Wahib, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s military emir for Iraq’s
Anbar province, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said today.
The spokesman said Wahib is a former member of al-Qaida in
Iraq and has been seen in ISIL execution videos.
That strike also killed three other ISIL jihadists, Cook
said.
“Abu Wahib's death is another blow to ISIL's leadership that
will further degrade its ability to operate, especially in Anbar province,” he
said.
Leadership ‘Hit Hard’
ISIL leadership has been hit hard by coalition efforts, Cook
said. “This is another example of that,” he added. “It is dangerous to be an
ISIL leader in Iraq and Syria these days, and for good reason we want to apply
pressure [on] ISIL on as many fronts as possible. Taking out leadership targets
is one way to do that.”
Cook noted Anbar province is a critically important area in
the fight against ISIL, and the death of Wahib will harm ISIL's ability to
conduct operations in the region.
The spokesman noted that taking out leadership is part of
what he called “a multipronged effort” to apply pressure on as many fronts to
ISIL as possible, “and for ISIL leaders to be very worried about their next
step.”
(Follow Terri Moon Cronk on Twitter: @MoonCronkDoD)