Islamic State finance chief 'killed in air strikes'

[Surya Gayatri]

Source: BBC News

Muwaffaq Mustafa Mohammed al-Karmoush, aka Abu Salah, and two other senior leaders were killed in the strikes which took place in "recent weeks".

No details were immediately given.

The coalition has been carrying out air strikes against IS militants in Iraq and Syria for over a year. One recently also killed an IS leader in Libya.

US military spokesman Col Steve Warren confirmed the deaths in a video call from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Abu Salah is the code name for Muwaffaq Mustafa Mohammed al-Karmoush.

Col Warren called Abu Salah "one of the most senior and experienced members" of the militant group's financial network.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35064400

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On Twitter, Brett McGurk, special US presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter IS, said the three were killed "as part of the coalition campaign to destroy Isil's (Islamic State's) financial infrastructure".

On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed a US air strike had killed a senior leader of the Islamic State group in Libya.

What does this portend for the future of the fight against Da'esh/ISIS? Wait and see, I guess.

[Lint Head]

1. It's the old head of the snake approach. The blood of

Desh/Is runs green.

[PersonNumber503602]

6. Yet a search of your posts on here seem to support Russian military activities in the region.

I fully understand the argument that military "solutions" are not usually the best solution. I just don't understand why the same solution is bad when done by one country, but good or acceptable when done by another.

For example, the US was asked by the Iraqis early on to help by bombing ISIL in Iraq. When that started there were many criticisms that the US wasn't helping by bombing Iraqis. Which I don't think is a fair assessment of what was going on (they were targeting ISIL, not Iraqi civilians), but I fully understand the sentiment that bombing may not have been the solution. At least it's worthy of debate and discussion. But then fast-forward a year and Russia is asked by Assad to help them out. Many of those same people who criticized the US for their bombing of ISIL in Iraq, are now celebrating the Russian strikes and are praising Russia for stepping in where the US wasn't doing its part. It's not so much the arguments or stances themselves I find troubling, but rather the inconsistencies in applying ones "deeply held" believes to situations.

[PersonNumber503602]

9. I saw your posts before and I searched to confirm my memory

I will say I may have read to much into your comments though, as you didn't not explicitly state your support. However, you did state that you do not criticize Russian airstrikes and you also did not criticize Russian deployment of military forces (SAM missiles) to the region. Perhaps I wrongly took that as endorsement, as in those posts you were criticizing similar US activities. I apologize if I was wrong in my assumptions. To clear up any future confusion, do you support Russian airstrikes in the region?

[PersonNumber503602]

16. I did apologize if I was incorrect.

Now I know that you do not support Russian airstirkes and military deployments in Syria, and you see their strikes as counterproductive. Again, I apologize for making wrong assumptions earlier.

Now how do we get Russia and NATO counties to stop bombing ISiS?

[PersonNumber503602]

18. How can we get NATO and Russia to stop bombing ISIS?

It does seem counterproductive and only causes more death.

[winstars]

10. At least he used the correct grammar.... and its made, not madr snarky new guy...

[winstars]

20. You were giving out very,very snarky grammar lessons yesterday, that tone is not needed here...

All good, have a great day!

[leveymg]

3. That's one they should have definitely captured alive.

If he were specifically targeted, they clearly don't want to obtain the Saudi and Gulf States donor's list. But, isn't obtaining that sort of information the very reason why we have the NSA and CIA?

BTW: The more common spelling is Abu Saleh - you'll come up with nothing except a refugee human interest story if you look under Salah

[Surya Gayatri]

4. Yeah, this guy sounds like he was a walking repository of info.

on ISIS's crucial finances. Very dicey to take him alive, though, I would think, in the middle of Da'esh territory.

[CJCRANE]

5. It's a piecemeal approach. Zapping a bigwig here and there doesn't achieve much.

How many Al Qaeda #2's did we zap in the Bush era?

Now Al Qaeda is stronger than ever and got its own army.

It's the War on Terror Redux and no one noticed we went full circle from winding down the wars Post-Bush to starting a whole new cycle against the same enemy rebranded, that apparently just popped up out of nowhere and caught us by surprise.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. This press release DID remind me of the multiple killings of

N° 2 in Al Qaida back in the bad old Bush days.

[flamingdem]

11. Except it's easier to train a #2 than a fancy accountant! nt

[phantom power]

12. Whatever. Have they issued a Daesh deck of cards yet?

[Doctor_J]

13. reruns from the Bush administration

I guess the people who actually run the country don't care who is president

[Yavin4]

21. "Islamic State finance chief"-- how do you get that job?

Where does one apply? Is it listed on Monster.com?