IS activists killed in Iraq

AFP, WASHINGTON: A US airstrike in northern Iraq has killed an Islamic State operative who was a person of interest in the 2012 Benghazi attack, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said Ali Awni al-Harzi of Tunisia was killed in Mosul on June 15. The US Treasury and the State Department had designated him as a terrorist operating for radical groups.
"His death degrades ISIL's ability to integrate North
African jihadists into the Syrian and Iraqi fight and removes a jihadist with long ties to international terrorism," Warren said referring to IS.
Harzi was considered a person of interest in the militant attack on the US mission in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on September 11, 2012, that killed the American ambassador and three other Americans.
Meanwhile, Canberra was yesterday working to verify reports that two of Australia's most wanted IS group fighters, notorious for being pictured holding severed heads, have been killed.
The Australian media cited people close to the families of Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar as saying the pair died in fighting in Mosul in the past week.
Sharrouf gained global infamy last year when he posted pictures on his Twitter account showing himself and his seven-year-old, Sydney-raised son holding up the severed heads of slain Syrian soldiers.

IS activists killed in Iraq

AFP, WASHINGTON: A US airstrike in northern Iraq has killed an Islamic State operative who was a person of interest in the 2012 Benghazi attack, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said Ali Awni al-Harzi of Tunisia was killed in Mosul on June 15. The US Treasury and the State Department had designated him as a terrorist operating for radical groups. His death degrades ISILs ability to integrate North African jihadists into the Syrian and Iraqi fight and removes a jihadist with long ties to international terrorism, Warren said referring to IS. Harzi was considered a person of interest in the militant attack on the US mission in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on September 11, 2012, that killed the American ambassador and three other Americans. Meanwhile, Canberra was yesterday working to verify reports that two of Australias most wanted IS group fighters, notorious for being pictured holding severed heads, have been killed. The Australian media cited people close to the families of Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar as saying the pair died in fighting in Mosul in the past week. Sharrouf gained global infamy last year when he posted pictures on his Twitter account showing himself and his seven-year-old, Sydney-raised son holding up the severed heads of slain Syrian soldiers.