Top ISIL leader killed by air strike in Iraq
A top ISIL leader has been killed by a coalition air strike in Iraq, the Pentagon has confirmed.
Abu Wahib and three others were killed when their vehicle was struck on May 6 in Rutba, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.
He described Wahib’s death as a blow to the group’s leadership.
A senior US official said it was an American air strike.
Mr Cook says Wahib was a former member of al Qaida in Iraq and has appeared in ISIL execution videos.
There have been unconfirmed reports in the past suggesting Wahib was targeted by strikes, but this is the first time the Pentagon has said he was killed.
Whaib, who was also known as Shaker Wahib, gained notoriety for slaughtering three Syrian truck drivers.
A video appeared online in 2013 showing him questioning the three truck drivers about religion.
Deciding the trio was bad Muslims, he shot them one by one.
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