A coalition airstrike killed ISIS’ military emir for Iraq’s Anbar province on May 6, the Pentagon announced Monday. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Abu Wahib and three other ISIS members were killed while traveling in a vehicle near Rutbah, Iraq. Cook described Wahib as a “significant member” of the ISIS leadership in a “critical area.” He was also a former member of Al Qaeda in Iraq and appeared in ISIS execution videos, Cook said. “It is dangerous to be an [ISIS] leader in Iraq and Syria these days,” he said. (See also: Hunting ISIS Leaders.)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
