The No. 2 figure in ISIS, Haji Mutazz, is believed to have been killed in an August 18 drone strike near Mosul, Iraq, several U.S. officials told CNN.
The U.S. intelligence community is in the final stages of confirming the man who died was Mutazz, a top deputy to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, the officials said.
The U.S. believes Mutazz was prominently involved in directing ISIS’ financial operations.
The reported death of Mutazz, who also goes by several other names, is a bit of a mystery. Several news organizations, including CNN, reported his death at the end of last year, based on information from senior U.S. administration officials.
One official said it appears the United States had a wrong identification at that time.
The information about the drone strike this week is being very closely held by the government because of its sensitivity.
But one official told CNN the strike was based on “actionable intelligence,” meaning the Pentagon knew Mutazz was in a particular area at a particular time. That type of information suggests the United States has some ability to target and strike some of the most senior officials in ISIS.
One official say Mutazz was killed near Mosul, but the other officials declined to confirm that was the case.