ISIL Commander Killed in Northern Beiji

A top ISIL commander has been killed in Iraqi air force airstrikes in the Northern part of the city of Beiji, Iraq’s defense ministry announced in a statement on Monday.

Iraqi fighter jets killed the ISIL commander in al-Fatheh region in Northern Beiji, the statement said without mentioning his name or any other details.

On Sunday, the Iraqi army announced that 65 ISIL terrorists, including 11 commanders, had been killed in missile attacks on four military bases in the Western parts of Anbar province.

Beiji lies at a crossroads between several frontlines and control of the area is seen as the key to progress in other regions, including Anbar province where forces were also closing in on ISIL strongholds.

The Iraqi army and volunteer forces launched an assault on Wednesday to take back the city of Beiji in Northern Iraq from ISIL terrorists.

The Iraqi forces captured the strategic village of al-Rabee in the very first hour. Later, they won back full control over Beiji oil refinery in Salahuddin province in the evening after killing ISIL’s top military commander (or Emir) of the region.

The army and volunteer forces launched the Beiji Freedom Operation by approaching the city from three different directions.