US air strike kills 'Islamic State's number two': White House

WASHINGTON: The second-in-command of the Islamic State militant group has been killed in a US air strike in northern Iraq, the White House said on Friday.

The National Security Council identified the slain militant as Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, also known as Haji Mutazz, and said he was IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's senior deputy.

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Ned Price on the Death of ISIL Deputy Leader Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali. pic.twitter.com/baraAX3V3P

— Obama NSC- Archived (@NSC44) August 21, 2015

US said they were able to kill him, along with an IS "media operative" known as Abu Abdullah, in a strike on August 18 on a vehicle near the city of Mosul.

The White House described Al-Hayali as a member of the Islamic State's ruling council, and "a primary coordinator for moving large amounts of weapons, explosives, vehicles and people between Iraq and Syria.

"He supported ISIL operations in both countries and was in charge of ISIL operations in Iraq, where he was instrumental in planning operations over the past two years, including the ISIL offensive in Mosul in June 2014," it said.

This is the second time that his death has been reported. Previously, he was reported to have been killed in a coalition airstrike December 2014 along the Syrian border.