BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi counterterrorism service said on Friday that a senior Islamic State leader was killed in a security operation in Syria carried out in coordination with the U.S.-led international coalition.
The commander, Omar Abdul Qader Bassam, known as “Abdul Rahman Al-Halabi”, was the group’s head of external operations and security, the service said.
He was accused of overseeing attacks in multiple countries, including the bombing of Iran’s embassy in Lebanon, and planning other operations in Europe and the United States that were ultimately foiled through intelligence work, it added.
U.S. Central Command has carried out a series of strikes targeting Islamic State figures in Syria. U.S. officials have warned the group is hoping to stage a comeback in the country following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last December.
(Reporting by Muayed Hameed; Writing by Jana Choukeir; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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