Top Islamic State commander killed, Pentagon says

[jpak]

Source: Washington Post

The U.S. military killed several key Islamic State figures this week, including a top commander serving as a finance minister, Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter said Friday.

U.S. officials said that Haji Imam has held a series of high-level roles in the Islamic State, and is part of a leadership core that traces back to the organization’s emergence as an al-Qaeda affiliate after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

“We are systematically eliminating ISIL’s cabinet,” said Carter at a press briefing Friday, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

Imam is a “long time member, someone who forms connective tissue to the al-Qaeda in Iraq days,” a U.S. official said, adding that he was “closely associated and tied to Zarqawi.” Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian operative known for his brutal tactics, was head of the al-Qaeda franchise in Iraq until he was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2006.

<more>

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/25/top-islamic-state-commander-killed-pentagon-official-says/

[jwirr]

1. I am sorry but these headlines strike me as idiotic. One dead

2 million to go.

[Oneironaut]

4. Experience is important. A random villager from

Syria is less useful to ISIS than a scientist, or a general from the Syrian army. Assassinating the key members in an organization is key to destroying it. If you destroy the mold holding ISIS together, the organization crumbles.

ISIS is as much a bureaucracy as any other bureaucracy. This doesn't solve lone wolf attacks, but it hurts ISIS as a whole.

[jwirr]

9. My point is that there is always someone to fill the vacuum.

[Oneironaut]

13. No doubt. They may not be as good as the previous person, though.

The concept that "someone will just take their place" is true in general, but ignores the loss of talent, morale, and structure that happens when a big name gets assassinated. The other big names begin to wonder if they're next.

We need to make becoming an ISIS leader radioactive.

[uppityperson]

8. DAESH has 2 million?

[jwirr]

10. That was a way of saying there is always some to fill the

vacuum. How many times did the W administration kill the second in command in Iraq?

[uppityperson]

11. Thanks for the clarification

[Turbineguy]

2. Sorry, doesn't count.

President is a Democrat.

[PersonNumber503602]

3. In other news, ISIS promotes #3 to #2.

They seem pretty good at taking out people they believe are important, but it doesn't seem to be effective as they want us to think (or want to think themselves) I could be wrong though, as I haven't spoken with anyone from ISIS about how these deaths effect their ability to wage their stupid little jihad and govern their creepy little caliphate.

[Recursion]

5. Rarely. #3 and #2 are hugely different

Most terrorist organizations are set up roughly like corporations, with a President of the board as #1 and a CEO as #2. These two tend to keep themselves pretty well insulated. #3 (it's usually "number three" that an air strike kills) is the COO, and as the operations chief he's generally much more exposed, which is why #3's have a much shorter life expectancy.

It's also a separate recruitment track; Operations guys come up from the trenches; the executives come from the fundraising circuit.

If you're a fan of "The Wire", the #1 is Avon, the #2 is Stringer, and the #3 is Shamrock

[PersonNumber503602]

19. I guess it's just the years of seeing #2s come and go in these organizations

have me a bit underwhelmed. Wherever they come from, it seems like they have a pretty steady supply of competent replacements.

[Democat]

6. Or maybe it's been extremely effective?

It's possible that there would have been far more attacks if they hadn't removed key people in the organization?

[Plucketeer]

7. Any successful force has leaders

Those leaders weren't just plucked at random from their ranks. And I have seen a chicken with it's head severed. They still dance around for some time - but their movements are purposeless and ineffective. With ISIL, there'll certainly be promotions to fill the voids as they come to pass. But the fighting forces will suffer for these replacement's lack of experience - most of their efforts being purposeless and ineffective.

[OnlinePoker]

12. Sounds exactly the same as Bush Co's "Top Al Qaeda Chief killed"

Nothing ever changes with this shit no matter who is President.

[Gregorian]

14. That does nothing to help the biggest threat to the human race- climate change.

[Eugene]

15. We got the #2 guy!

...again.

Isis second in command killed in US raid, Pentagon says (The Guardian)

[oioioi]

16. Please clap

[tabasco]

17. OK, I LOL'd

but I'll do more than that. I'll hoist a brew and toast this fucker's timely demise.

[Socal31]

18. The Delta Force/CIA-SAD/SEAL teams are not sitting idle on base these days, that is for sure.