ISIL senior leadership killed in airstrikes - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (KUNA) -- The Pentagon revealed Thursday that "multiple senior and mid-level leaders" in ISIL have been killed by the US-led coalition's airstrikes since mid-November.
"We believe that the loss of these key leaders degrades ISIL's ability to command and control current operations against Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), including Kurdish and other local forces in Iraq," Pentagon Spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby said.
It is unclear if there were also casualties in Syria.
"While we do not discuss the intelligence and targeting details of our operations, it is important to note that leadership, command and control nodes, facilities, and equipment are always part of our targeting calculus," he added.
"The success of these airstrikes demonstrates the coalition's resolve in enabling the ISF to disrupt and degrade ISIL as they continue to regain control of their territory," he concluded. (end) ys.gb