On May 26th, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced the killing of Mutaz al-Jabouri, the Islamic State’s so-called governor, or “Wali,” of Iraq.
He was killed in a US-led coalition airstrike in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor.
Al-Jabouri was one of three senior Islamic State leaders for whom the US State Department announced in August that it was offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to their capture.
Al-Jabouri, along with the two others for whom the State Department offered the $5 million rewards, are Iraqis.
The Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, the State Department unit which offered the money, described Jabouri as “one of the most important leaders in ISIS.”
He was, “as of mid-2017,” the “deputy amir of manufacturing in Syria,” where he “was in charge of the Research Department for ISIS’s chemical and biological efforts,” RFJ explained.
According to the statement by the Iraqi CTS:
“After the information provided by [CTS] agency, which led to the death of terrorist Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and arrest of the terrorist Abdul Nasser Qardash, today we announce to the Iraqi people the killing of the terrorist Mutaz Noman Abdul-Naif al-Jabouri, nicknamed Hajji Taysir.”
Just days earlier, the Iraqi National Intelligence Service announced Qardash’s arrest. The Security Media Cell, Iraq’s military press center, explained that Qardash’s real name is Taha Abdul Rahim Abdullah Bakr al-Ghassani.
According to the CTS statement, al-Jabouri had been the assistant head of the organization’s “State Affairs,” and he had been responsible for planning and coordinating external terrorist operations.
He was essentially a sort of “deputy foreign minister of terrorism.”
“After following up the movements of this dangerous terrorist and his continued movements inside and outside Iraq, he was targeted by an airstrike by the International Coalition against ISIS in the Syrian region of Deir al-Zor, according to accurate intelligence information by the Counter-Terrorism Service,” the statement added.
Al-Jabouri was earlier a member of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the State Department explained. So, too, was Qardash, as the Security Media Cell similarly stated.
Despite this being a significant success, it has been proven time and again that simply removing the head of ISIS or other terror organizations does little to deter their activities, the “head of the snake” simply grows immediately back, and even carries out revenge activities for a while.
