US: We Took Out No. 2 Leader of ISIS

The US says it has killed one of the Islamic State's top leaders. Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli might not be a household name, but he coordinated the group's finances and was thought to be first in line to run ISIS if something happened to current leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, reports CNN. Details of the operation remain under wraps, but the Daily Beast reports that special operations forces killed al-Qaduli in Syria after tracking him for days. ABC News adds that he was killed in a ground operation. The news comes about a week after airstrikes killed another top ISIS commander, war minister Omar al-Shisani, or "Omar the Chechen."

"We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," said defense chief Ash Carter at a news conference Friday. "The momentum of this campaign is clearly on our side." US commandos specifically charged with tracking down ISIS leaders arrived in Iraq earlier this year, notes the New York Times, perhaps explaining the recent success. The State Department had previously offered a $7 million reward for al-Qaduli, which CNN notes had made him the sixth-most-wanted terrorist in the world. (More ISIS stories.)