UPDATE 10:54 a.m.: The death of ISIS' second-in-command, whose real name is Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, was confirmed by defense officials during a press conference on Friday. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter told reporters, according to the New York Times. The top ISIS leader, who is believed to have also went by the name Haji Imam and numerous other aliases, acted as the group's finance minister.
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An ISIS leader described as the terrorist organization's "second-in-command" is believed to have been killed during a raid in Syria this month. Citing information from defense officials, NBC Newsreports that Defense Secretary Ash Carter is set to provide additional details on the raid that reportedly killed Haji Imam during a press conference on Friday.
Haji Imam served as the group's deputy commander, according to a breakdown from the International Business Times. In 2015, a multimillion-dollar reward for information on Imam’s whereabouts was approved by Secretary of State John Kerry. Imam was reportedly killed during a raid "on his vehicle" after being tracked for days, the Daily Beastreports.
Imam's alleged death comes days after reports that an airstrike killed Abu Omar al-Shishani, ISIS' "minister of war." After a stint with Georgian forces during the 2008 Russian conflict, Shishani spent several months in different rebel groups in Syria before ultimately joining ISIS "around 2012 or 2013," according to the Washington Post. An official statement from the Pentagon, believed to confirm both deaths, is forthcoming.
