Iraqi forces killed a senior "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) leader in a pre-emptive operation in the al-Makhisa area in northern Diyala province, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence said Monday (July 25th).
“Tigris Operations Command on Saturday killed Hashem Nassif Jassim al-Hayali, an aide of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and wounded a number of his aides,” the ministry said in a statement.
The army's 5th Infantry Division received intelligence as to the whereabouts of al-Baghdadi’s aide and launched the operation, the statement said.
