BAGHDAD: Abu Khadija, also known as Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, the leader of Daesh terrorist organisation Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been killed in a joint operation by Iraqi security forces and the US-led coalition.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed the development on Friday (March 14), calling Abu Khadija “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”
The operation took place in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province, where US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, in collaboration with Iraqi intelligence and security forces, carried out a precision airstrike on March 13.
The strike successfully targeted Abu Khadija, who was ISIS’s second-in-command globally and a key figure in the group’s operations, logistics, and financial network.
US President Donald Trump announced the news on his Truth Social platform, stating that the ISIS leader was “relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters.” He further declared, “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!”
CENTCOM also released a statement on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that the ISIS leader was identified through DNA analysis. The agency revealed that Abu Khadija and another ISIS operative were found wearing unexploded suicide vests and were heavily armed at the time of their deaths.
Photo:@CENTON on X
