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Abdullah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, also known as Abu Khadija, was the head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He was eliminated in an operation involving US and Iraqi forces on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump | Reuters Image
US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) took credit for the elimination of a senior ISIS terrorist leader, who was killed in a coordinated operation involving US and Iraqi forces on the previous day.
Abdullah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, also known as Abu Khadija, was eliminated in an operation by Iraqi security forces on Friday, announced PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. He was the head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and was considered “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world”.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters. His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
White House Shares Video Of Strike
The White House uploaded a video of the purported strike on Abu Khadija, captioning it, “President Trump Terminates ISIS Leader in Targeted Strike.”
The US Central Command said US forces, in cooperation with Iraqi security forces, conducted a precision airstrike in Iraq’s Al Anbar province that killed Abu Khadijah and one other ISIS operative.
“As the Emir of ISIS’ most senior decision-making body, Abu Khadijah maintained responsibility for operations, logistics, and planning conducted by ISIS globally, and directs a significant portion of finance for the group’s global organisation,” it added.
“Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organisation. We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organisations that threaten our homeland and US, allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of the US Central Command.
A security official told CNN that the operation was carried out by an airstrike in Anbar province, in western Iraq. A second official said the operation took place Thursday night but that Khadija’s death was confirmed Friday.
The announcement came on the same day as the first visit by Syria’s top diplomat to Iraq, during which the two countries pledged to work together to combat ISIS. After overthrowing the Assad regime, Syria’s new rulers have pursued ISIS cells.
Why Was Abu Khadija Wanted?
Khadija was earlier mentioned as a possible candidate for the position of a global leader of the ISIS, called as the “caliph”. He was targeted by the US sanctions in 2023 and was governor of the ISIS’s Syrian and Iraqi provinces, the Iraqi premier said.
His death comes as a major blow to ISIS operations in the region. The group has faced persistent instability in its leadership, with several successors being swiftly eliminated. Despite these challenges, ISIS continues to pose a significant threat through its affiliates and networks across the Middle East and beyond.
The US and Iraq announced an agreement last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025, reported CNN, with US forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country.
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
