According to news reports, two ISIS high-ups were killed, a leader in waiting and the finance and logistics head, i.e. Salah Nouman Abd Nayef al-Jubour.
The reports so far do not claim that the ISIS incumbent leader, “Caliph” Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, was killed, but “a senior ISIS figure who had been poised to become the group’s next leader in the country.”
There has been some confusion over who was taken out, other than Salah.
All the same, good riddance.
Considering that Salah was the finance boss for the terrorist organization, an interesting fact is that at one time, ISIS was considered to be the richest terrorist group in the world, but this is no longer considered to be the case.
Allegedly, ISIS pulled off a big bank heist in Mosul back in 2014, stole from other banks, collected taxes, and sold oil (ironically, back to Assad’s government and Syria), thereby their coffers grew.
One estimate is that ISIS had US$2 billion or more at its disposal.
With the fall of the ISIS Caliphate, they lost access to revenue and resources, such as the oil rich areas they used to control, there was the loss of taxation revenue from the areas they used to govern, and the funds were generally being spent with less return. Wiring funds to affiliate groups around the world probably also put a dent in their savings over time. (ISIS-Mozambique allegedly were receiving funds through Western Union in small increments. A dollar in Mozambique goes a long way.)
–RdM
(Yes, I used the word “unalived”… 😁)
Fox News (August 20, 2025) US military raid in Syria eliminates ISIS leader-in-waiting, key financier: officials
Target was positioned to become next ISIS Syria leader, official tells Fox News
The U.S. military carried out a raid in northern Syria on Tuesday, killing a senior ISIS figure who had been poised to become the group’s next leader in the country, a U.S. official told Fox News.
A key ISIS financial official was also killed in the operation, the official said, noting that both men had been actively planning attacks in Syria and Iraq. No U.S. forces were injured.
On the background of a U.S. official to Fox News, the raid was described as a “successful operation” targeting a senior ISIS member assessed to be a strong candidate to assume the role of ISIS Syria Emir, a position that would have posed a direct threat to U.S. and Coalition forces as well as the new Syrian government.
No civilians were injured or killed, and there were no injuries to U.S. or Coalition forces.
The operation is part of continued U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the region following ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria and Iraq in 2019.
We will continue to pursue ISIS terrorists with unwavering determination throughout the region,” the official added, stressing that the U.S. and its partners remain committed to ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of the homeland.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.