Iraqi forces capture deputy IS leader Sami Jasim Muhammad al-Jaburi: PM Al-Kadhimi

As Iraqis headed to the polls on Sunday, Iraqi forces captured a high ranking 'Islamic State' leader who served as deputy to the slain leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announced on Monday.

"While our ISF (Iraqi security forces) heroes focused on securing the elections, their INIS (Iraqi national intelligence services) colleagues were conducting a complex external operation to capture Sami Jasim," he said in a post on Twitter.

Sami Jasim Muhammad al-Jaburi, also known as Hajji Hamid is a central figure in managing ISIS's finances. Al-Jaburi was also a member of al-Qaida in Iraq in the past. He ran the terrorist group's finances and was the subject of a reward issued by the US government.

The US Department of the Treasury designated al-Jaburi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in September 2015. An up to $5 million reward had been issued for any information concerning him. According to the FBI on its Rewards for Justice website, he is a legacy member of ISIS's predecessor organization, al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI)".

The group's late leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by US forces in a raid in northwestern Syria in 2019.