Skip to main content

Airstrike kills IS leader in Syria: Pentagon

Tariq bin Tahar al-Awni al-Harzi's death described as significant blow to the Islamic State group
File photo shows a US fighter jet somewhere in the Middle East
By AFP

WASHINGTON - A senior Islamic State group (IS) leader who raised funds, recruited fighters and procured weapons for the group has been killed in a coalition airstrike in Syria, the Pentagon said on Thursday.  

Tariq bin Tahar al-Awni al-Harzi was killed in the northern city of Shaddadi on 16 June, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement. 

His brother Ali, an IS recruiter and person of interest in the 2012 Benghazi attack, was killed by an airstrike in Iraq a day earlier.

The Pentagon said Harzi was "responsible for moving people and material into Syria and Iraq" and also raised funds to recruit fighters and facilitate travel. 

In addition, he supported IS by procuring and shipping weapons from Libya to Syria, where the militants have taken large swathes of territory. 

He also aided with suicide attacks.   

The Pentagon said his death was a significant blow to IS. 

"His death will impact ISIL's ability to integrate foreign terrorist fighters into the Syrian and Iraqi fight as well as to move people and equipment across the border between Syria and Iraq," Davis said, using an alternative acronym for the group.

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters

Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.