diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_blockjob.c b/src/qemu/qemu_blockjob.c
index 718e311213e84251b2d8e6a3275d8ae6d61b1d02..498e2a716f54c60ec537c515cd998338cb9766d0 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_blockjob.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_blockjob.c
@@ -1004,6 +1004,44 @@ qemuBlockJobProcessEventCompletedPull(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * qemuBlockJobDeleteImages:
+ * @driver: qemu driver object
+ * @vm: domain object
+ * @disk: disk object that the chain to be deleted is associated with
+ * @top: top snapshot of the chain to be deleted
+ *
+ * Helper for removing snapshot images.  Intended for callers like
+ * qemuBlockJobProcessEventCompletedCommit() and
+ * qemuBlockJobProcessEventCompletedActiveCommit() as it relies on adjustments
+ * these functions perform on the 'backingStore' chain to function correctly.
+ *
+ * TODO look into removing backing store for non-local snapshots too
+ */
+static void
+qemuBlockJobDeleteImages(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
+                         virDomainObjPtr vm,
+                         virDomainDiskDefPtr disk,
+                         virStorageSourcePtr top)
+{
+    virStorageSourcePtr p = top;
+    g_autoptr(virQEMUDriverConfig) cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
+    uid_t uid;
+    gid_t gid;
+
+    for (; p != NULL; p = p->backingStore) {
+        if (virStorageSourceGetActualType(p) == VIR_STORAGE_TYPE_FILE) {
+
+            qemuDomainGetImageIds(cfg, vm, p, disk->src, &uid, &gid);
+
+            if (virFileRemove(p->path, uid, gid) < 0) {
+                VIR_WARN("Unable to remove snapshot image file '%s' (%s)",
+                         p->path, g_strerror(errno));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * qemuBlockJobProcessEventCompletedCommit:
  * @driver: qemu driver object
@@ -1070,6 +1108,10 @@ qemuBlockJobProcessEventCompletedCommit(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
     job->data.commit.topparent->backingStore = job->data.commit.base;
 
     qemuBlockJobEventProcessConcludedRemoveChain(driver, vm, asyncJob, job->data.commit.top);
+
+    if (job->data.commit.deleteCommittedImages)
+        qemuBlockJobDeleteImages(driver, vm, job->disk, job->data.commit.top);
+
     virObjectUnref(job->data.commit.top);
     job->data.commit.top = NULL;
 
@@ -1160,6 +1202,10 @@ qemuBlockJobProcessEventCompletedActiveCommit(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
     job->disk->src->readonly = job->data.commit.top->readonly;
 
     qemuBlockJobEventProcessConcludedRemoveChain(driver, vm, asyncJob, job->data.commit.top);
+
+    if (job->data.commit.deleteCommittedImages)
+        qemuBlockJobDeleteImages(driver, vm, job->disk, job->data.commit.top);
+
     virObjectUnref(job->data.commit.top);
     job->data.commit.top = NULL;
     /* the mirror element does not serve functional purpose for the commit job */