WASHINGTON — A top Islamic State commander was targeted by a U.S. airstrike near a Syrian town where he was directing military operations, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili, also known as "Omar the Chechen," was targeted by an airstrike near Shaddadi, where he was attempting to rally militants in a battle with U.S.-backed opposition forces.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, has been driven from Shaddadi, a strategic town that straddles supply lines between the group's Syrian stronghold and Iraq, in a major defeat for the militants, according to the Pentagon.
The airstrike targeting Batirashvili was launched Friday, and the Pentagon said it was still assessing the results of the strike to determine if he was killed.
"Batirashvili was a Syrian-based Georgian national who held numerous top military positions within ISIL, including minister of war," the Pentagon said in a statement.
"At the time of this strike, Batirashvili had been sent to al Shaddadi to bolster ISIL fighters following a series of strategic defeats to local forces we are supporting, cutting off ISIL operations near the Syria-Iraq border," the statement said.
The statement described him as a "battle-tested" leader whose death would damage the Islamic State's ability to recruit foreign fighters.
The U.S. government had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
