What a difference new leadership can make. Now that Obama and Ash Carter are no longer heading up our armed forces, the Trump/Mattis combo has proven to be deadly to ISIS. News out of Western Mosul is the terrorist organization suffered a major blow to its ranks today, with the death of its chief chemical bomb expert.
Iraqi News reports:
An Islamic State militant, the group’s chlorine bombs expert, was killed mysteriously in western Mosul as the group builds up defenses anticipating a security offensive.
Reports quoted a local source in Nineveh as saying that the so-nicknamed Abu Yaha al-Iraqi, 44, was killed near his residence in Islah al-Zeraie district in “mysterious circumstances”. He was referred to as the “engineer” of the group’s chlorine bombs.
“Al-Iraqi’s family had disappeared before his death,” the source said, noting that the fact adds to the mystery around his killers. The group was unmoved by his death, which makes it possible that its members were the perpetrators, as he put it.
IS lost the eastern section of Mosul to Iraqi government forces on January 24th after three months of battles that left at least 3000 of its fighters dead.
ISIS is so terrified of the new administration that its demoralized fighters are desperate to get out of fighting, even using “sick notes” to stay off the battle field.
The New York Post reports:
The jihadists are sending “sick notes” to ISIS higher-ups, whining that they “can’t turn up to fight today” because they have headaches, upset stomachs, knee spasms, back pain and sore feet, The Sun reported Monday.
In the letters, they also beg their bosses to ship them back to their countries of origin so they can seek immediate medical help for their ridiculous claims, the newspaper said.
Their poor excuses were contained in documents recovered by Iraqi forces, who continue to push the Islamic State out of the war-torn country.
The feeble soldiers are part of ISIS’ Tarek ibn Ziad Battalion and are motivated to quit the group in a quest for self-preservation, The Sun said.
Follow Josh Caplan on Twitter at @JoshDCaplan
