Benghazi attack suspect, Islamic State commander killed in U.S. drone strike
By Andrew V. Pestano Follow @AVPLive9 Contact the Author | Updated June 23, 2015 at 8:32 AM
WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- Ali Awni al-Harzi, a key suspect in the 2012 Benghazi U.S. Consulate attack and an Islamic State member, was killed by a drone strike in Mosul, Iraq.
Al-Harzi was targeted in the U.S. drone strike because of his leadership position as an IS battlefield commander in Iraq, military officials announced Monday.
"Ali Awni al-Harzi, a known [IS] operative and organizational intermediary who was a person of interest in the Sept. 11, 2012, attack against U.S. personnel in Benghazi, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Mosul, Iraq, on June 15," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said. "Al-Harzi operated closely with multiple [IS]-associated extremists throughout North Africa and the Middle East. His death degrades [the IS's] ability to integrate North African jihadists into the Syrian and Iraqi fight and removes a jihadist with long ties to international terrorism."
Video footage of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi apparently placed al-Harzi at the scene, leading authorities to determine him as a person of interest. He was later arrested in Turkey for attempting to enter the country with false passports and deported to Tunisia, his place of birth. In December 2012 the FBI was able to interview him about his role in the attack, but he was released by Tunisian authorities in January.
Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, died in the Benghazi attack.
A reward of up to $3 million was offered by the Department of State through its Rewards for Justice program for information on al-Harzi, whose full name is Tariq Bin-al-Tahar Bin al Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi, one of the first members of the IS. He was key fundraiser and recruiter for the group, specializing in finding suicide bombers.
"Ali Awni al-Harzi was responsible for planning hundreds of suicide attacks across the world, and was one of the first foreign fighters to join" IS, Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told ABC News. "Given his role within the terrorist organization, and his previous leadership in al-Qaeda in Iraq, he was also responsible for recruiting foreign fighters and sending them to the fight in Syria. He is also suspected of involvement in their hostage program."
http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/isis-commander-benghazi-attack-suspect-killed-us-drone-strike-iraq
