ISIS members linked to Paris attackers killed

Coalition airstrikes killed an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria member with a direct link to the Paris attack cell leader, a spokesman announced Tuesday. 

{mosads}Charaffe al Mouadan, a Syrian-based ISIS member with a direct link to cell leader Abdel Hamid Abaaoud, was killed on Dec. 24, said a spokesman for the coalition. 

“Al Mouadan was actively planning additional attacks against the west,” Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters Tuesday. 

{mosads}Warren named Al Mouadan as one of 10 ISIS leadership figures who were killed in the past month with targeted airstrikes, “including several external attack planners, some of whom are linked to the Paris attacks.” 

Abdel Kader Hakim, another ISIS leader linked to the Paris attacks was also killed, according to Warren. 

Hakim was killed in Mosul on Dec. 26. He was a veteran fighter and forgery specialist who had links to the Paris attack network, Warren said. He was also part of ISIS’s external operations group who enabled attacks against western target, and was an important facilitator with many connections in Europe, he said. 

Warren said the killing of these ISIS leaders was degrading the group’s activities. 

“Any organization that sees its middle and upper management degraded in this way is going to lose some of their synergy, right? It’s difficult to command and control an organization without the command and control personnel. That leader needs to be able to facilitate the activities, your ability to conduct activities goes down,” he said.

“So we’re striking at the head of this snake,” he added. “We have not severed behead of this snake yet, and it has still got has fangs. We have to be clear about that. There’s much more fighting to do.”

Warren also provided the following information about the other eight people killed:

·         Rawand Dilsher Taher, an external operations facilitator, was killed near Raqqah, Syria on Dec 7. Warren described Taher as a trusted ISIS member who assisted with command and control as well as the handling and transferring of money and equipment. 

·         Khalil Ahmad Ali al-Wais, AKA Abu Wadhah, the ISIS Amir of Kirkuk Province was killed near Hawijah, Iraq also on Dec. 7, Warren said. Abu Wadhad had a long history of terrorist activities against U.S. and Iraqi Forces, according to the Pentagon.

·         Abu Anas, an ISIS improvised explosive device (IED) cell facilitator, was killed near Kirkuk, Iraq on Dec. 8. Warren argued that his death will disrupt ISIS’s ability to conduct IED attacks near Kirkuk.  

·        The coalition killed Yunis Khalash, a.k.a. Abu Jawdat, ISIS’s deputy financial emir in Mosul on Dec 9. 

·         The coalition killed Mithaq Najim, ISIS’s deputy emir in Kirkuk Province, near Hawijah, Iraq also on Dec 9. Warren said his death would disrupt ISIS’s ability to train, command and maintain fighters in Kirkuk Province. 

·         A Syria-based Bangladeshi, Siful Haque Sujan, was killed near Raqqah, Syria on Dec 10. Sujan was an external operations planner who was educated as a computer systems engineer in the United Kingdom, Warren said. Sujan supported ISIS’s hacking efforts, anti-surveillance technology, and weapons development. Warren said his death means ISIS has lost a key link between networks.

·         Akram Muhammad Sa’ad Faris a.k.a. Akram Aabu, a ISIS commander and executioner, was killed near his base of operations in Tal Afar on Dec. 12. 

·         Tashin al-Hayali, an external operations facilitator, was killed near Mosul on Dec. 27.

“We will continue to hunt ISIL leaders who are working to recruit, plan and inspire attacks against the United States of America and our allies,” Warren said, using another name for ISIS.