The deputy commander of Islamic State has reportedly been killed in an operation by Iraqi forces.
Fazel Abdullah al-Hiyali, also known as Abu Moslem Turkmani, died during the army operation against the Tal Afar airport in the northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi Intelligence Ministry said on Friday.
A former Ba'athist officer, Hiyali, was targeted by an air strike in the city, 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of the provincial capital Mosul.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Thursday that a man identified as Abu Hajar al-Souri, the militant group’s second-in-command, was killed in an airstrike in Mosul.
The Iraqi intelligence has also confirmed the death of Abu Alaa al-Iraqi, the head of the Islamic State's military council in the city of Tal Afar, in an airstrike in the provincial capital.
Iraq has been fighting IS terrorists since they took control of Mosul on June 10. The takeover was followed by the fall of the city of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad. The control of Tikrit was later retaken by the Iraqi army.
Islamic State terrorists have been committing heinous crimes in the captured areas, including the mass execution of civilians and Iraqi security forces.
Soldiers of the Iraqi army have been engaged in heavy fighting with the militants on different fronts and have so far been able to push back militants in several areas.
On September 2, the United Nations said at least 1,688 were killed by violence in Iraq during August.
