An airstrike targeting the Islamic State (IS) leadership in the Western Iraqi border town of al-Qaim is believed to have dealt a serious blow to the terrorist organization’s chain-of-command. According to reports coming from U.S. Central Command, the attack, which occurred late Friday, targeted the Islamic State’s leadership. Based on eyewitness testimony, the terror group quickly moved to clear the local al-Qaim hospital to receive patients from the scene. A local government official stated that there were tens of victims being transported to and treated in the hospital.
It is believed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS and self-proclaimed Caliph, was in the impacted area during the strike. The airstrikes destroyed ten armored vehicles believed to be a convoy of Islamic State leaders. According to reports, al-Baghdadi was critically wounded in the airstrike. At this time, the Iraqi government is working to confirm whether the attack killed or critically injuring al-Baghdadi.
MSA's Research and Intelligence Analysis (RIA) Group has been monitoring this situation closely and has complied the following analysis:
The airstrikes show that attacks on Command, Control and Communications (C3) are an effective means of degrading military capabilities of adversaries. If intelligence indicates al-Baghdadi was indeed killed in this attack, it would be a significant blow to the organization from an operational and morale perspective. The change in leadership, and search for a new Caliph could potentially destabilize the terrorist organization. Additionally, retaliatory attacks may follow the airstrike as a means of showing the group still has strength and capabilities.
