Iraq News

International coalition says it killed ISIS leader linked to beheadings

The international coalition against the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) said Monday (December 3rd) it killed a senior extremist involved in the executions of a US aid worker and other Western hostages, AFP reported.

Abu al-Umarayn was accused of involvement in the November 2014 beheading of Peter Kassig, a former US ranger who was doing volunteer humanitarian work when captured in 2013.

"He was killed and more information will be available after a full assessment," coalition spokesman Col. Sean Ryan said in a statement issued after the Sunday strikes.

"Al-Umarayn had given indications of posing an imminent threat to coalition forces and he was involved in the killing of American citizen and former US Army Ranger, Peter Kassig," he said.

Ryan said the extremist also had been involved in the execution of several other prisoners.

At the time of the execution, ISIS released a video showing Kassig's severed head.

Kassig founded a humanitarian organisation in 2012 that trained some 150 civilians to provide medical aid to people in Syria. His group also gave food, cooking supplies, clothing and medicine to the needy. He took the name Abdul Rahman after converting to Islam.

His execution was part of a gruesome series of Western hostage beheadings that ISIS filmed and published to shock the world as it attempted to expand across the region.

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