This morning, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the death of ISIS’ number two leader, Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Haji Imam. In addition to serving as ISIS’ chief financial minister, Al-Qaduli reportedly played a critical role in overseeing ISIS’ daily operations and maintained a close connection to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Secretary Carter confirmed that al-Qaduli was killed during a special forces operation, and his death signifies another important step in the campaign to defeat ISIS.
According to The Cipher Brief expert and Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, Dr. Michael W.S. Ryan, the deaths of al-Qaduli, as well as another high-ranking al Qaeda operative, Omar al-Shishani, earlier this month, indicate that the U.S. “has clearly stepped up its war against ISIS and has become much more effective at eliminating specific targets.”
Ryan says these successes are a likely result of the increased use of U.S. Special Forces and marines in Syria and Iraq, a tactic that aims to put the jihadists on their heels.
“To the jihadists that study American operations and doctrine, this will signal a new level of threat to their plans. There is very little they can do to offset U.S. military and intelligence designs. Direct confrontation for them means defeat,” explains Ryan.
In response to a more aggressive campaign demonstrated by the U.S. against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Ryan anticipates that the terrorist organization will continue to prioritize attacks outside of its self-declared caliphate.
“Unable to defeat us directly, we should expect ISIS to plan and try to execute more out of theater attacks, some of which may have been planned for some time,” said Ryan.
Ultimately, in order to destroy ISIS and its networks, the U.S. must remain determined to rooting out terrorist strongholds wherever that may be. “What will make a difference is continued U.S. vigilance outside the theater of operations and continued intensity and specificity in Syria and Iraq,” stated Ryan.
