MOSCOW: Russia claimed Friday to have killed several top commanders of the Islamic State group in an airstrike in Syria, including the “Minister of War” and the so-called Emir of Deir Ezzor. “According to confirmed data, among the killed fighters are four influential field commanders including Deir Ezzor emir Abu Mohammed al-Shimali,” the ministry said. Gulmurod Khalimov, who is known as the IS group’s Minister of War and the highest-ranking defector from ex-Soviet Tajikistan, suffered a “fatal injury,” it added. Backed by Russia, Syrian troops on Tuesday broke through a years-long siege imposed by IS militants on tens of thousands of civilians in Deir Ezzor. In July, police in Tajikistan killed four relatives of the former special forces colonel in a gun battle, an interior ministry source has said, and three other relatives were detained.

Source: New Strait Times September 08, 2017 08:48 UTC