Second-in-command of terror group killed by US air strike

The White House has confirmed that Islamic State (ISIS) second in command, Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, was killed in a US military strike in northern Irag on Tuesday, August 18.

US officials said Hayali, also known as Hajji Mutazz, died after his car was attacked in Monsul, stating that his death would put a hole on IS operations.

According to Ned Price of the the US National Security Council, the terror group commander was a primary coordinator for moving large amounts of weapons, explosives, vehicles and people between Iraq and Syria, the US National Security Council's Ned Price said in a statement.

He was said to have been played a major role in planning operations over the past two years, including the IS offensive in Mosul in June 2014.

Hayali is described as "the senior deputy" to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who, according to reports, was seriously injured in another air strike by the US-led coalition in March this year.

Price added that the Commander's death will have an adverse impact of the operations of IS given that his influence spanned IS's finance, media, operations, and logistics.

A number of IS leaders have been taken out by US-led air coalition strikes in both Iraq and Syria in recent months.