Iraqi forces confirmed the death of deputy Islamic State leader Moataz al-Jubouri in Syria

Iraqi authorities announced the killing of Moataz al-Jubouri, the deputy leader of the Islamic State group, following air strikes by the US-led international coalition.

Iraq’s Defence Ministry Spokesperson Yehia Rasool said in a statement on Twitter that the country’s Counter-Terror Agency confirmed that the US-led coalition strike killed al-Jubouri – also known by his nom de guerre Haji Tayseer.

Al-Jubouri is thought to have the role of “Governor of Iraq” within the organisation, and is responsible for organising and coordinating overseas terrorist operations, Rasool said.

The operation was conducted following a brief period of tracking Al-Jubouri’s movements in and out of Iraq.

The commander was targeted in an international coalition air strike in Deir az-Zour province, eastern Syria, based on intelligence gathered by the Counter-Terror Agency, said Rasool.

Last year, the US offered a $5 million reward for anyone who could provide information on either Al-Jubouri or two other IS members thought to be part of former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s inner-circle.

Jubouri was said to oversee the manufacture of explosive devices, according to the US announcement.

Baghdadi was killed in an operation led by US commandos in Syria’s Idlib province last October.

Little is known about Jubouri other than that he was born in Iraq’s Salahuddin governorate in 1972, and became involved in an insurgency against US forces, following the 2003 invasion. He later joined Al-Qaeda and then IS.

Earlier this month, Iraq announced a new operation against remaining IS factions in the country after a string of attacks on its security forces.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Syria has seen a spike in IS attacks, thought to be helped by the coronavirus crisis and tensions between the SDF and Turkey, which controls parts of northern Syria.

IS militants took over much of Syria and Iraq in 2014, massacring thousands civilians and prisoners of war.

They controlled territory equivalant to the size of the UK until a US-backed assault by the Iraqi military, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and other groups saw the last IS outpost in eastern Syria fall last year.

Source: Alaraby