Islamic States top commander in Iraq has been killed after Iraqi security forces launched punishing airstrikes on the terrorist outfits stronghold in the Hamrin mountains, the prime minister declared this afternoon.
The ISIS commander, named as Jassim al-Mazrouei Abu Abdel Qader, died along with eight other terrorists in the operation conducted early last week, according to Iraqi premier Mohammed Shia al-Sudanis statement.
Counterterrorism forces... killed the so-called (IS) governor of Iraq, he declared triumphantly.
The confirmation of Qaders death comes days after US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued an update late last week claiming the IS commander had been killed along with three other militants.
The Iraqi-led strikes were conducted to disrupt and degrade ISIS attack networks in Iraq and were enabled by technical support and intelligence from coalition forces, the CENTCOM statement read.
Qaders assassination represents a notable blow to ISIS and comes amid signs that the extremist group could be on the rise once more following a resurgence of threats across Africa, Asia and Europe.
Since ISIS lost its last stronghold in Syria five years ago, the terror group has never been able re-exert itself as the regional power it was at its peak - when it ruled over 12 million people across the Middle East.
But it claims to have been behind a series of brutal attacks in recent months from suicide bus bombings in Kabul to machine-gun assaults on theatres in Moscow - not to mention a foiled plot to kill tens of thousands of Taylor Swift fans in Vienna.
The ISIS commander, named as Jassim al-Mazrouei Abu Abdel Qader, died along with eight other terrorists in the operation conducted by Iraqi Security Forces (pictured) early last week
ISIS has struggled to regain its power in the Middle East since being ousted in Syria in 2019, but experts warn it may be growing in strength
Harrowing images were released by the terror group in 2014 that showed gunmen shooting men dead after forcing them to lie face down in a shallow ditch
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is pictured right along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
The return of Islamic State to frontpage headlines is not coincidental.
Experts warn the group is using conflicts and tension around the world to galvanise its comeback, exploiting apathy towards the West to fuel a new fire of international terror.
Security chiefs breathed a sigh of relief when the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics passed by uneventfully at the end of July.
In the months preceding the Games, security had been stepped up sharply in light of an attack some 1,500 miles east, in Russia.
The assault at Moscows Crocus City Hall in April reverberated around Europe when ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack that left 137 people dead.
In horrific scenes shared widely across social media, gunmen were seen storming through the theatre, shooting indiscriminately before setting the venue ablaze - a stark reminder of terror not seen in Europe for years.
A month prior, the British and American embassies in Russia had apparently picked up the scent, urging citizens to avoid large gatherings in Moscow and check local media for updates.
Bow and arrows, a drone and ISIS leaflets were found during a raid of a suspects house
A view shows the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 22, 2024
Gunmen open fire at Crocus City Hall, in Krasnogorsk, Moscow region, Russia, March 22, 2024
ISIS news agency Amaq released sickening a 90-second selfie video of the attack that is too graphic for MailOnline to share
Putting aside political animosity, the US advised Russia that Crocus was a possible target of attack - intelligence rejected by Russia, which instead blamed the attack on Kyiv, after broadcasting an FSB raid on an alleged ISIS cell planning an attack on a Moscow synagogue in March.
Then in June, ISIS struck again, killing at least 20 people in southern Russia as black-clad militants stormed through Dagestan burning religious buildings and firing upon police and bystanders.
While the so-called Islamic State has carried out a spate of attacks since Syrian forces ousted the group from its last territory in the 2019 Battle of Baghuz Fawqani, the group had avoided attacking Russia since 2018, within the context of the Syrian Civil War.
Still, factions remained.
ISIS-K, one such group based out of Khorasan (straddling Iran and Afghanistan), has been galvanised by the thousands of veteran militants returning east from Iraq and Syria in the years since.
The attack on Crocus appears to reflect ISIS-Ks wider ambitions, allowing the faction the resource to conduct attacks on behalf of ISIS in Europe, where historically it has been bound to its conflict with the Taliban.
Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and former Ambassador of the UK to Yemen, told MailOnline: ISIS methodically kept itself alive during the height of military and counterterrorism pressure it faced by creating a global structure of mutually supportive regional networks.
He said those operating out of Afghanistan, East Africa and West Africa have been particularly effective.
The regional network structure allows for a formerly "remote province" like Khorasan to step up and enable international attacks if it has the capacity to do so.
That capacity is partly enabled by funds authorised by the leadership in Syria.
Khorasan is also important because of diasporas: Uzbek, Chechen, Daghestani and especially Tajik.
These ethnicities provide networks that link Afghanistan, Turkey, Central Asia, the Caucasus with target venues in Russia, Iran, Germany, Scandinavia, France.
The ISIS teen who plotted a terror attack on a Taylor Swift concert, identified as Beran A
Social media footage shows as gunmen dressed in camouflage clothing opening fire with automatic weapons at people in the Crocus City Hall music venue near Moscow
Rescuers clearing the rubble and extinguishing fires in the hall of the Crocus City Hall
ISIS released a photo of the militant who carried out a mass stabbing attack at a festival in Solingen and killed three people
A 26-year-old Syrian man, who is the suspect in custody for a stabbing rampage in the western German city, is escorted by police on August 25
ISIS-K and the Taliban have been embroiled in a bloody conflict for nearly a decade, with bus bombings and suicide attacks rocking Afghanistan as recently as September 2.
But reinforced by those returning from the war in Syria, the offshoot now has the resource to threaten adversaries further afield - and found an audience by exploiting the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza.
ISIS has always prioritised its very professional propaganda and that has found a readier audience since the start of the Gaza war, Mr Fitton-Brown told MailOnline.
In April, a Moroccan asylum seeker stabbed a British retiree to death in revenge for Israels war against Hamas because Israel had killed innocent children. The same month, a woman was raped and held prisoner in France by a man who sought to avenge Palestine.
Millions have marched worldwide to bring attention to the tragic deaths of civilians during Israels campaign in Gaza, mostly in peace. The UN, rights charities and aid groups have urged an end to the campaign, with millions of people displaced by the war and at risk of famine and disease.
But the Khorasan faction of ISIS appears to have found room to manouevre in targeting radicals predisposed to violence, urging in January: Lions of Islam: Chase your preys whether Jewish, Christian or their allies.
Istanbul was also shaken by a church shooting claimed by ISIS earlier this year - the first attack in Turkey since 2017.
Two masked gunmen entered the church during Sunday Mass and began shooting, killing one person and injuring another. Around 40 people were reported to be in the church at the time.
Turkish national Tuncer Cihan, described by his nephew as a mentally disabled individual who had no connection to politics or (criminal) organizations was killed during the attack.
Europe noticed when a media outlet linked to the terror group released a threatening image naming four host stadiums of the Champions League quarterfinals in April, captioned Kill them all.
Then in late August, the CIA announced it had warned Austrian authorities about a planned terror attack at Taylor Swifts concerts in Vienna linked to an ISIS-connected group.
They said suspects were aiming to kill tens of thousands of people over the Austria leg of the Eras Tour, pushing the artist to reschedule dates in London.