WASHINGTON: A US airstrike is believed to have killed the leader of the Daesh affiliate in Libya, Pentagon officials said on Saturday.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the strike targeted Abu Nabil Al-Anbari, who US intelligence officials believes commands what is Daesh’s strongest branch ouside of Iraq and Syria. His real name is Wisam al Zubaidi, a former Iraqi police officer who was dispatched to Libya in 2014 by Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Prior to going to Libya, Zubaidi was a senior Daesh operative in Iraq.

A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation, said the strike involved American F-15 aircraft and was believed to have killed Zubaidi. He said the attack had been planned for some time.

The location of the strike within Libya was not immediately clear. Defense One first reported the strike on Saturday.