ISIS Governor Abu Taluut Killed In Christmas Day Airstrikes
ISIS governor Abu Taluut, also known as Hassan Saeed Al-Jabouri, was killed in coalition-led airstrikes on Christmas day, CNN reports.
Abu was governor of the Islamic State-led Mosul region, and had been active only 25 days after U.S. airstrikes killed his predecessor, Radwan Taleb Al-Hamdouni, earlier this month.
Saluut was “killed 18 miles south of Mosul in the village of Qayyara, according to Maj. Gen. Watheq Al-Hamdani,” CNN states. Al-Hamdani is a senior regional Iraqi police commander who is leading the government’s efforts to retake Mosul from ISIS.
The Islamic State looks at Mosul as a major stronghold. It was taken over earlier in 2014 by ISIS fighters, but the Pentagon said that it has a strategy to retake the city beginning in January, CNN notes.
The current plan, according to an anonymous official, “is to assemble about 1,000 troops, with Iraqi forces approaching Mosul from the south and Peshmerga forces from the west.”
“But everything in the plan is ‘conditions based,’ and the exact timing and size of the force to be used remains to be determined,” the site adds.
On Christmas, the Inquisitr brought you more ISIS news, as Pope Francis lashed out against the Islamic State for its “brutal persecution” of minorities.
“I ask him, the Saviour of the world, to look upon our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria, who for too long now have suffered the effects of ongoing conflict, and who, together with those belonging to other ethnic and religious groups, are suffering a brutal persecution.”
In an addendum to BBC News, Pope Francis added this.
“May Christmas bring them hope, as indeed also to the many displaced persons, exiles and refugees, children, adults and elderly, from this region and from the whole world. May indifference be changed into closeness and rejection into hospitality, so that all who now are suffering may receive the necessary humanitarian help to overcome the rigors of winter, return to their countries and live with dignity.”
Pope Francis has been careful in his condemnations of the Islamic State to not endorse or condemn violence as a means of combatting tyranny.
In a previous report on the death of Abu Taluut, the Twitterverse had some differing information.
#Breaking — #ISIS governor of #Mosul Hassan Saud Khalil known as Abu Taluut has died after being poisoned. http://t.co/pvtvzu4SVt
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) December 25, 2014
The report today corrected this previous report of poisoning.
[Image via ShutterStock]
