Iraq says Daesh chief Baghdadi's aide killed in airstrike

BAGHDAD

An aide to Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in an air strike in the western province of Anbar, a media network affiliated with the Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The man, identified as Ali Mohammed al-Ubaydi, was killed in a raid in the town of Barwanah, according to a statement issued by the War Media Network.

The statement did not give any dates, but said that al-Ubaydi was one of the senior figures within the terrorist organization that escaped from the Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces retook control of Barwanah from Daesh, the ministry said in a statement late Monday.

This came just days after Iraqi forces defeated the militant group in Ramadi.

Captain Ziyad al-Nimrawi, Barwanah’s police chief, told Anadolu Agency that Iraqi forces, backed by the U.S.-led international coalition’s air force, killed 22 Daesh militants and took control of Barwanah.

“Seven pro-government tribal fighters and Iraqi troops were killed and 37 others were injured during the battle,” al-Nimrawi added.