IS says ‘minister of war’ Shishani killed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Abu Omar al- Shishani, who the Pentagon described as Islamic State’s “minister of war,” was killed in combat in the Iraqi city of Shirqat, south of Mosul, a news agency that supports the militant group said on Wednesday.
The Pentagon said in March that Shishani had likely been killed in a US air strike in Syria, but this was the first time the group appeared to confirm his death.
Reuters could not independently verify the statement from Amaq news agency, which Islamic State regu- larly uses to issue reports and which denied Shishani’s death after the Pentagon’s comments in March.
Islamic State ( IS) supporters exchanged notes of praise and condolence on social media, including pictures of the ginger- bearded fighter, and pledged to launch a fresh offensive in his honor.
Officials at the Pentagon said they were aware of Wednesday’s report, but could not confirm or deny it.
Hisham al- Hashimi, a Baghdad- based security expert who advises the Iraqi government, said a source in Shirqat confirmed Shishani had been killed there along with several other militants.
Iraqi forces are advancing toward Mosul, the largest city still under the control of IS. They have mostly surrounded Shirqat, 250 km north of Baghdad, and last week retook a major air base from the militants to use in the main push on Mosul, 60 kilometers further north.
But Rami Abdelrahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Shishani had been wounded in March and died soon after in the countryside east of Raqqa.
“I confirmed from the doctor who went to see him,” said Abdelrahman, who tracks the war in Syria through a network of contacts. He told Reuters IS likely delayed announcing his death to allow time to line up a successor.
Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen, ranked among America’s most wanted militants under a US program that offered up to $ 5 million for information to help remove him from the battlefield.