Administration confirms airstrike on ISIS leaders

The U.S. has confirmed that a recent coalition airstrike outside of Mosul hit vehicles associated with the leadership of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the White House said Tuesday. 

But the Obama administration cannot say whether the terror group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was among those injured or killed in the blast. 

{mosads}“As you know we did take a strike that successfully hit a number of ISIL vehicles that we assess was associated with ISIL leadership,” said deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes, using an alternate abbreviation for the group. 

Iraq’s defense minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, said on Facebook that al-Baghdadi was wounded in the strikes and that a top deputy, Musallam al-Turkmani, was killed. 

Rhodes refused to confirm any details, saying the U.S. “cannot confirm his status at this point.” 

But he said the air campaign was intended to send a “message” to the terror group: “We’re not going to allow for a safe haven for ISIL and its fighters and its leadership in Iraq or Syria.” 

“If they move, we’re going to hit them,” he added. 

The death of al-Baghdadi, on whom the U.S. has put a $10 million bounty, would be a significant setback for the terror network, which has seized control of large swaths of Syria and Iraq. Al-Baghdadi has been credited with the group’s rapid growth, and is thought to be a prolific fundraiser and capable military strategist. 

Before departing for Asia over the weekend, President Obama authorized the deployment of an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq to help bolster security forces there fighting ISIS. Obama also asked Congress to approve an additional $5.6 billion for the fight.