Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has refrained from targeting the commanders of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but the Pentagon said air strikes against ISIL have been effective.

Officials said the U.S. military has not sought to eliminate ISIL leaders, including chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.

Iraq has asserted that aides of Al Baghdadi were killed in U.S. air strikes in northern Iraq.

“We certainly hope he’s [Al Baghdadi] dead, but we haven’t conducted any strikes against him,” Defense Department spokesman Steve Warren said.

On Sept. 6, the Iraqi Intelligence Ministry said ISIL deputy commander Fazel Al Hiyali was killed in an air strike at Tal Afar airport. On Sept. 4, the Iraqi Defense Ministry identified other casualties as ISIL military council chief Abu Ala Al Iraqi and the movement’s No. 2, Abu Hajar Al Suri.

Officials said Al Baghdadi was believed to have fled Mosul for neighboring Syria amid daily U.S. air strikes. They said most of Al Baghdadi’s military advisers were former officers under Saddam Hussein.

In a briefing on Sept. 8, Warren said the U.S. air strikes have eroded the effectiveness of ISIL. He said the sorties enabled ground operations by the Iraq Army and Kurdish forces.

“Certainly, ISIL forces realize that when American airpower is deployed, their chance of survival goes to nil,” Warren said.

  Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, Abu Hajar Al Suri, Mosul, odds for survival ‘goes to nil’, odds for survival are ‘nil’, Pentagon: ‘ISIL realizes’ that against U.S. airpower, Steve Warren